The Tale of Tesseract
by NJKilleen
Summary: Roku Azero, a renowned space captain, is sent on the run when the Grox conquer his homeplanet. He must gain allies on a risk-mounting adventure to learn the truth about a powerful object known as the "Tesseract," and a mystery spanning billions of years.
1. Another Day

_Welcome to the Sci-Fi epic that is 'THE TALE OF TESSERACT!'_

_If you are a new reader, please note, that this story... is quite long. As the chapters go on, my writing skills improve. Hopefully that's something you'll actually notice (if you're so kind as to read this story in the first place)._

_Regardless, if you like epic battles, a plethora of action scenes, sci-fi mysteries, ancient evils, advanced civilizations, and pretty much anything and everything awesome... then I am sure that you'll enjoy this story._

_Also note, that this story is part of the TTOT Collaboration (obviously... TTOT... The Tale of Tesseract... get it?). Anyway, this means that the plot line of this story takes place in the same world as the others in the collaboration. For the most part, you do not have to go and read the other stories to understand this one (and vice versa). However, I know for a fact that those other authors would DEFINITELY appreciate your reviews. And... um... so would I. Chronological order is "Veara," "Zarkhator," "A Little Fight? For Regimight?" "Grox and Kisses," "The Vacor incident," and finally, "The Tale of Tesseract."_

_And without further adue, let the story begin!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**1: ANOTHER DAY**

* * *

"The God That Will Come is a false deity. If this god exists at all, it is a demon bent on perverting Spode's worship. Whenever you encounter his followers, you should know you have encountered an enemy!" -Scrolls of Faith

"The Grox are a machine race that guard the center of the galaxy against all life-forms. It is not known if their ultimate objective is to prevent us from breaking in, or to prevent something else from breaking out." -Books of Science

* * *

**At sector 17? CF-3, on Galactic date 3247b6, something materialized. It blasted into our world, streaking through the vacuum of space at faster than the speed of light. It raged through nebulae and exploding stars, heading straight for the Aeron Galaxy. Nothing could stop its course. The object was only 2 feet wide, but it was the most powerful thing in the known universe.**

* * *

"Good morning Thar! It's the begging of a new day and it's time to..." SLAP. Roku was tired of listening to that guy say the same thing every morning. Nevertheless, it did its job He was awake and ready to take on another day of being a "space captain" as they called it. Personally Roku thought it was a cheesy name, but it had been used for millions of years, so changing it wasn't much of an option. Roku plopped his talons down onto the floor and got up out of bed. After taking a long yawn, he stretched his wings and walked over to the closet. With a slide of his hand, the door slid open. Roku though for a moment before picking the red and black captain uniform. It wasn't like their was much of a choice.

With the snap of his finger, the hover clamps inside the clothes lifted up a plopped the clothes onto Roku. With a bit of adjustment he was already done. How he like the new technology. It seemed like there was something new every week. Fortunately, the Tharians did not let themselves degrade with the new advances, unlike another race that we know...

Roku walked over to his balcony. As he stepped outside, he breathed in the cool air of Thar, the homeworld of the Tharians. He laughed for a moment. They were one of the few species that actually named themselves after their planet... or the other way around, Roku wasn't sure actually.

Currently, Roku was staying in one of the Tharian Residential Towers.

That's right! His memory came back to him. Roku had returned to Thar after a recent mission on the planet Lux-5. He was back to refuel his ship, and recharge the Dark Energy Core that powered it.

Roku looked out over the balcony's edge. Thar. It was an amazing planet. Towers stretching up into the sky, millions of hover vehicles, and the star Pyles blazed in the sky. The empire was huge, stretching hundreds of stars. And at the heart was this, Thar. A planet that was constantly busy. The majority of the planet was completely urbanized, with buildings reaching up for the stars. But no building stood as tall as the Main Control Tower. Roku could see it in the distance. It was HUGE. It seemed to go into space itself. It was the center for any Tharian exchange. The center of the Tharian Empire. Everything was controlled by it. And inside was the object that made all of this possible. The Hypercube.

Around a thousand years ago, an object fell from the sky. It was glowing cube, emanating massive amounts of energy. Back then, the Tharians looked completely different. They were much more bat like. They had eye stalks and webbed hands. Looking back, some of today's tharians would say they looked like monsters.

But then, the Hypercube.

After years of investigating it, the scientists began to create and invent things that they had never even dreamed of before. Then, slowly, the Tharians structure began to change. They evolved, again, even though they were already sentient. They changed into what they are now. MUCH more bird like. The tharians were now bipedal, and as the residents of Sol III would say, "humanoid." The tharians had the usual formula of two arms and two legs, but they also had a pair of eagle-like wings on their back and talons for feet. All of the tharians limbs were covered in feathers, but the hands and face were very similar to that of humans. After this change, the empire would forever more be referred to as the "New Tharian Empire," a name that was known throughout the Galaxy.

With these new advances, the tharians believed they could at at last combat the Grox. They sent Roku in a one-manned ship, to attempt to penetrate the massive empire and reach the Galactic Core. After a long struggle, Roku succeed. One of the VERY FEW captains to do so. And what he found there... we'll it sort of ruined the whole "grand uber meaning of life" thing.

He returned to Thar and continued to be one of the most successful captains in the known galaxy. Everyone knew about the mighty New Tharian Empire, and especially about the legendary Captain Roku.

Roku laughed out loud, it was funny that he was actually part of this huge empire. When your actually in it, it doesn't feel as amazing. He did however admit that the combination of wings and hands was a nice touch, but he knew that there had to be more. What he found at the center of the Galaxy gave him many more questions than answers.

Bleep. Bleep.

"Oh forgot about that," said Roku. It was Harko sending a subspace message, SM for short. It was ironic though, as it was completely unnecessary. They were both on Thar, so their was no need for an SM, but... that's Harko for ya'. It read: are you gonna charge your ship or what?

"Oh my gosh what time is it!" Roku said, scrambling for his watch.

12:07. Man he had slept in late! He said he was gonna be their by 10:00. We'll that's what happens when your an incredibly busy space captain. He took one last glance at the Main Control Tower, and then dashed for the door.

He stopped for a moment. Almost forgot. He walked over to the vault by the closet. After typing in the complicated 42 digit pass code, it opened. Before him was the reason he had traveled to the Galactic Core. He took it out and held it in his hands.

The Staff of Life.

A long white rod, with a two curves at the top. It was easily equip-able into his ship, and acted as a terraforming tool, but Roku preferred they way it looked outside. Smiling, he took it with him as he dashed out the door.

Roku sprinted down the hallways, passing up random Tharians that were saying things like, "Oh Captian Roku", or "Is it really you?" After a few minutes of pushing through a crowd of people, he finally made it to the second door. He opened it and found himself in the main silo.

He jumped off the ledge and fell down the shaft. At the last moment Roku unfurled his wings and glided to a halt. With the staff in his hands, and a Poision Blade in the other, he dashed though the next door, into the Spaceship bay. There it was. Roku's Spaceship, given the name "Tharak" by the Tharian Council. She was beautiful. Roku stepped under the ship, and pressed the button to activate the lift beam.

"DNA matched with that of Captian Roku of the New Tharian Empire. You are cleared to pass." said the ships computer. Roku smiled as the beam teleported him into his ship.

"Just another ordinary day." he thought.


	2. The Fall of Thar

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**2:** THE FALL OF THAR

_"The Grox are a soulless race of killing machines. They oppose the Life Force in every way! They are incapable of enlightenment or transcendence."_ -Scrolls of Harmony

* * *

Roku's ship was designed by the Tharians to excel in speed and stealth, while at the same time being loaded with all of the newest weapon systems. The ship itself was only about 20ft long and 10ft wide. It was designed to be a one-man ship, but could fit 5 people comfortably. The ship was jet black, with two twin dark energy propulsion engines on either side. It was dubbed the "Tharak" as a reference to the Tharian's scientific name, _Akros Tharak. _This was the very ship that Roku had used to penetrate the Grox and reach the center of the Galaxy, something that everyone in the galaxy had wanted to do.

Captain Roku maneuvered his ship into the docking bay of Harko's workshop. With a loud THUMP the Tharak's hover system locked itself onto the docking platform.

"Ok," Harko said to Roku over a radio, "Your gonna need to get out of the ship before I begin the process. There is gonna be some serious radiation."

"This isn't the first time I've done this," Roku replied. Roku slid off of the Captains seat and walked over to the beaming platform near the back of his ship. Seconds later, the Tharak beamed Roku over to the obeservation deck where Harko was standing.

"So, how's it been? I hear you just beat up a bunch of pirates on Lux-5." Harko questioned.

"Yeah, it wasn't really that hard. After one use of Mind Meld, they were all so pleased to go hang out at Kimplemvora Prision. What a laugh!" Roku said, smirking.

"We'll let's see. I should be done with your ship in a few minutes, you can take a minute to look around if you want." Harko explained.

"I knew I could count on you," Roku said, appreciatively. A lound rumble was heard throughout the shop as the Dark Energy Core inside the ship was charged full of exotic particles. Roku did indeed take this moment to look around.

The workshop was shaped like a large square, with an opened roof, and platforms lining each the four walls, one of which was where Roku was standing. The majority of the workshop was colored with the boring monochromatic color of white. Roku had tried to get Harko to change it multiple times, but Harko just got busy doing something else, and eventually would forget. Even now, Roku could look up though the ceiling and see multiple Tharian hover vehicles zoom by, and the silhouette of the Main Control Tower in the distance.

As he looked around, he saw lots of different things that Harko had been constructing. Three or four monoliths lay scattered around the shop, sitting there as though they were completely insignificant. We'll they were... to the Tharians.

In the center of the workshop was the large docking bay, where Roku had arrived. Currently, he could see the Tharak being bombarded by waves of energy, coming from the docking platform itself. It seemed like a marvel of technology. But he knew it was just a routine blast of quantum exotic particles looping through the photon reactor, creating dark energy, which was then channeled into the ships energy chamber. Harko, was right though, there would be some serious radiation. That's why there was a shield around the docking bay. Without it, they would all hit head on with ridiculous amounts of kronon atoms, which would vaporize them instantly.

Most species would agree that that would be the best way to die, but in response to this, Roku would say that he would rather not die at all. Of course, New Tharians had one of the longest lifespans of any of the empires in the galaxy, around 700 years. Of course, some of this was technology enhanced, but most of it came from the elusive "hypercube," which had landed on the planet so many years ago. Roku was currently 437, but that was not something he told most people. Most species would say that he looked "young," a term that has lost most of its meaning in the Tharian Empire. Humans, who's lifespan was less than Tharians by a power of 10, would say that he didn't even look older than 20. But how exactly can you measure how "old" someone is, when the numbers almost never match?

"Ok, It looks like were finishing up the process, I should be done in just a few... there!" Harko exclaimed.

It was then that the dark energy lasers powered down, and the Tharak gave a low hum to signalize that it was fully charged.

"So... I can leave?" Roku questioned

"We'll yes, but..." Harko started.

Bleep. Bleep.

Roku's Subspace Message Receiver was signaling again.

_\\ALL CAPTIANS REPORT TO NEW THARIAN SPACEPORT ONE. REPEAT REPORT TO SPACEPORT ONE. THERE IS AN URGENT MATTER REGARDING THE SAFETY OF THE EMPIRE. ARRIVE NOW._

_-COMMANDER BLANKS//_

"What?! What the heck is going on!" Roku exclaimed.

"Off on a mission again?" Harko asked.

"Yeah but this one seems a little fishy. Why wouldn't they send a briefing message through a video? And, I always respond to the commander to report that I will arrive, but this message doesn't even give the option to reply!" Roku said, puzzled.

"This is also strange." Harko said. Roku looked up from his SMR. Harko was looking up recent message activity on a hologram monitor. "They seem to also be calling up all of the Tharian military fleet, and defense systems! And.. none of them got a reason. What the heck is going on?!"

"Are they all moving to Spaceport One?" Roku asked.

"Yes. I suppose you should go too." Harko replied.

Roku thought for a moment. Why wouldn't they give a reason? Something wasn't right.

"Harko, patch the link through your workshops SM tower, we might be able to reply to whoever sent us this message." Roku suggested.

"Brilliant. It will just take me a sec... there. We have a stable video connection with Commander Blanks." Harko said.

The video monitor materialized as a hologram screen to their right. Roku was startled by it as he forgot that he was standing RIGHT WHERE it was going to appear. Good thing it wasn't as deadly as the exotic particles.

But that was definitely not what scared him the most. It was who was on the screen that brought every bit of fear in Roku's heart to the front.

_It couldn't be._

_Never._

_This COULD NOT BE the person that was instructing the entire New Tharian fleet to mobilize!_

_NEVER._

_How could it be!_

Before him, on the screen, was Civet, the Commander of the GROX. He sat smugly in his chair, all the sudden surprised by the sudden video link.

"Who dares disturb the plan of the great Grand Master!" Civet retaliated.

"What?!" Harko screamed, "You're not Commander Blanks!"

"Yes, I gathered that much as well," Roku replied.

"How did you discover our whereabouts!" Civet inquired.

"We'll, you didn't quite send a reason as to why you needed to move ALL OF the Tharian Military forces to Spaceport One, rendering Thar COMPLETELY HELPLESS if there was an attack from.... oh, MAYBE THE GROX!" Roku exclaimed.

"How smart you are. But it's pointless now. The rest of your pathetic forces decided not to find a way to reply to the message like you did. I must give you credit for that. But it's no use, as we've already cut off all of your communication technology," Civet said, with a smirk on his face.

"He's right," Harko said, "The SMR isn't working anymore!"

"So I guess this is it, huh. But there's one thing that still doesn't make sense," Roku asked, "I've been in battles with the Grox countless times, and this does not seem like Grox strategy at all! Normally you just go barging into the fight, Planet Busters at maximum. Who could have come up with this new tactic?"

"Do not question the almighty power of the Grand Master!" Civet exclaimed.

"Yeah, who is this 'Grand Master'?," Roku said, "Never heard of him before."

"How dare you insult the god that will come! Prepare to witness the destruction of your empire. This is the fall of Thar!" Civet retaliated.

"Wait, weren't you gonna do that anyway?" Roku asked.

"ENOUGH!" Civet screamed, just before the video link was cut off.

Almost instantaneously afterwords, the sky was lit up as 16 to 17 hundred Grox ships jumped out of hyperspace. The sight was phenomenal and terrifying at the same time. Even the mighty Uber Turret was pathetic in comparison to this fleet. Each ship was black and loaded with all of the Grox weapon's. Their technology put all of the other empires in the Galaxy's to shame. All except for the Tharians that is, but that didn't matter anymore, as anything that could help them was already light years away. The ships blanketed the planet with utter hopelessness, as their seemed to be no way to escape the impending disaster.

"We can't let this happen!" Harko screamed, "If they take control of the Main Control Tower, it will take mere minutes to conquer the rest of the empire!"

"I realize this, and that's why were gonna get out of here now!" Roku exclaimed.

"What exactly do you plan on doing!" Harko asked.

"Um... surviving, living to see another day, beating the bad guys while I'm at it. Sound good?" Roku replied.

"No but listen to me," Harko commanded, "If they take this planet with you on it, there will be no hope left for this galaxy. If the entire New Tharian Empire falls, then who is left to protect the galaxy?" Roku stood there for a moment. He looked up at the sky. The battle was hopeless. Everything was falling apart.

"Agreed. But where am I supposed to go? The Grox will follow me to every corner of the universe." Roku responded.

"Yes, hold on just a sec..." Harko said typing furiously one of the panels. "Yes. While you were having that conversation with Civet, I was able to hack into their ships coordinate computer through the video link. Let's see... the coordinates are 77ΔAE-5. That's where their heading next."

"Wait," Roku said, in realization, "That's Sol III, but isn't that planet still a civ.? Why would they want to go there?"

"Beats me," Harko said.

"We'll, saving them is the least I can do." Roku stated. Harko nodded his head and walked back over to the control panel. With a few more button jabs, the Tharak was released from the docking bay.--

"Quickly, we need to go now." Roku shouted. The two of them raced for the Tharak's extraction beam.

But just as they were in a few feet of it, they heard the last noise that they could have possibly wanted to hear. The Grox were now dropping anti-matter bombs in mass across the city. They were hearing the sound of one of those dreaded bombs heading straight for their workshop. Mere instinct propelled them as they gave all of their energy and jumped for the beam.

Roku made it.

But Harko didn't.

A HUGE explosion was heard around the outside of the Tharak, luckily the shield protected its passengers.

A dark and horrible realization hit Roku. No one had materialized behind him. It was like it didn't even happen, or at least every fiber of Roku said that it couldn't be.

_How could Harko, my best friend and partner as a space captain, die. Just Now. That was it. It COULD NOT be. Everything was happening to fast._

"No!" Roku screamed, "Why... but that... NO!" Roku said, collapsing to the floor, but he knew that there was some serious work to be done. He ran for the Control Panel and activated the ships Hyperdrive.

As he blazed past the Grox fleet, and out into the space past Thar, he knew that he would do everything in his power to save the Galaxy.


	3. Sol System

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT  
**

**3:** SOL SYSTEM

* * *

It seemed insignificant. Just a tiny planet, in the corner of the Aeron Galaxy. It had quietly evolved, undisturbed by the chaos around it. Over many years, the inhabitants gained sentience, and technology, and civilization. They were a peaceful race, but at the same time, capable of untold amounts of destruction.

This is the Sol System. And this it is far more significant than the rest of the civ. Stage planets in the universe, for reasons that no one could ever work out. The "Humans" of which were the dominant species of the planet, which they called "Earth." Earth was the third planet from its young yellow star. Countless space-faring races had discovered this planet, just as any other, but found it barren, only T1. An insignificant nothing. Even those who had been enlightened by that of the life at the center of galaxy arrived here to find that there was no meaning to what they had been told.

But what of the green planet now? It eventually did evolve, giving the ominous feeling that I was somehow "late." Now in the galactic year 9210k58, the Humans of Sol III could be classified as a Type 5 Civilization Stage Planet. They were nearing the begging of space travel, but at the same time, had much to learn.

All of this information appeared on the hologram screen of the Roku's Tharak, as he rocketed into the atmosphere of the third rock from Sol. It seemed impossible that the Grox would want to come here, but Roku knew that it had some correlation with the previous attack on Thar. Roku knew that the Grox had the intent of attacking Thar to obtain the Hypercube, but how they knew that the Tharians had possession of it, or how they knew what it was, Roku had no idea.

* * *

_Maybe you shouldn't do this Chase, I mean, come on! Do you really want to spoil the government's fun? Wait what am I saying, yes! They've been lying to us! Or, is it like this on most undeveloped worlds? All that we know could be completely different from the reality of what's beyond our small blue sphere. But.. NO! That doesn't change what your doing. The world would find out eventually. I AM going to raise the field, and the world will realize the vastness of reality! Their eyes will finally be open to things past "Global Warming!"_

Chase Andrew Marks, the world's most renowned thief, was inside the oval office of the U.S. white house, in the middle of the night.

Chase had messy brown hair, and a somewhat slim 5ft. 11 in. frame. He normally wore tattered blue jeans, and the ever so cliche "t-shirt," but as of now, he was sporting a full body suit, black as the night itself. His skin was slightly tan, but his eyes were bright green. He was originally "American," but had been to so many places across the world, that he had an identity almost everywhere.

He had dropped out of school when he was 11, running away from his old town to find a new life. He was unusually bright, dreaming of things bigger than his planet. He often questioned why things were the way they were. Unfortunately, this tended to lead to consequences. He was forced to become a thief for a living, and, using his mental skills, was able to escalate to the top of the "theif heirechy." Chase had managed to steal things incredibly valuable, and against all odds. He used the money to travel the world, to force himself to experience new adventures... but it was never enough.

The world knew him as a criminal, but he was really just the young 14-year-old boy that he was, trying to make a difference in the world. Unfortunately, the world wasn't ready for change just yet. He knew that the worlds conspiracies about Area 51, the government, and previous alien encounters were correct, or at least… for the most part. He had managed to steal a genuine teleport device from Area 51, so their denial was not going to be convincing anyone. Even the white house was surrounded by shield generators stolen from a crashed alien spaceship.

Chase realized that if he could somehow turn on the shield, the world would realize that the government conspiracies were correct. A huge shield would definitely show up on the morning news. It was a long stretch, but Chase was determined to follow through with his mindset.

_IF ONLY THEY WOULD OPEN THEIR EYES! STOP CONNOTATING CONSPIRICES FOR SOMETHING CRAZY! I CAN'T STAND IT WHEN PEOPLE CALL ME CRAZY!_

Chase was thief not for financial gain, but for the adventure. He had never got the satisfaction that he wanted confined to this small world. He always wished he could be part of something bigger, something more important. Something that actually had meaning. Of course, no one would ever take him seriously, because he was 14. Not to mention that he always had a sort of "I'm the best" attitude.

_This is it! I'm not waiting anymore! The world will know the truth!... just trip this wire… spin this… push this in… and… wah-la!_

Tired of waiting, Chase had activated the white house's shield. He was manipulating panels accessible inside of the president's desk. A loud rumble could be heard throughout the building as the generators powered up, and then blanketed the white house in shining streams of energy. Not long after, an alarm was sounded, and the guards within the building were dispatched to discover who had committed this crime.

"Time to Go!" Chase said. But at the last moment he did a double take. He took out the "energy key" that he had also stolen from another secret "nonexistent" government base. With just a bit of tuning, he attached it though a port in the panel of which he had activated the shield. "Downloading energy signature… now!" Chase said. A few moments later, Chase disconnected the key and dashed for the door.

Chase was now sprinting through one of the many hallways inside of the white house. He needed to find a way out.

_Turn left, left, right, right, forward, left, forward. Come on Chase! You've gotta get out of here! I don't even want to THINK about how many years in prison this will ensue!_

Chase kept running, nonstop, until he reached the white house's main door. He was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't met any guards on the way here. But he couldn't have been more wrong. Chase spun around in suspicion, only to have his suspicions confirmed. He had never been more unhappy to be right in his whole life. He was ambushed. Six or seven guards, all holding guns, had him cornered. The door behind him opened, only to reveal more guards positioned behind it.

"So… Chase, right?" inquired the guard who appeared to be the commanding officer, "Would you do us the kind favor of handing over the energy key that you stole… We know that you downloaded and encrypted the computers access code with that. Without it, there is no way to deactivate the shield."

"Exactly! Why did you think I stole it?" Chase commented, bluntly.

"I've had enough of your nonsense! You will be escorted the nearest base where you will have your memory wiped, as will anyone you have met. You may not appeal against this sentence. Is that clear?" said the Commanding Officer.

"And yet you wonder why I'm so successful at stealing things," Chase said, quietly.

"What?" the commanding officer responded, confused.

"A while back I stole teleportation device from Area 51, something you didn't have much knowledge of. But let me tell you… It's helped me A LOT since then. Can you imagine how much easier it is to steal stuff with a teleporter?" Chase exclaimed.

"Huh?" exclaimed the officer.

"Now that I think about it… it can help me NOW as well!" Chase shouted. With a swift motion he reached down for his belt.

"No! Guards, grab him!" shouted the commanding officer, but it was too late. After a swift press of the button on his belt, he was gone, almost instantly.

With a flash, a spin, and one heck of a landing, Chase reappeared on a hill a few miles from the white house. He could see in the distance, a huge bubble of energy, covering the building. It wasn't long before THAT appeared on the news!

_I've finally done my job! Now for getting out of here!_

Chase turned and ran off into the forest. Where he was going, he didn't know, but anywhere was better than jail!

* * *

Roku descended into the lower portions of the atmosphere. He was picking up a strange energy signatures, coming from one of the planets city.

"Alien Technology Detected-Type 7 Class Warship Shield Generator- Located in City Washington:DC- Prepare to intercept?" asked the ships computer.

"Yes, initiate," Roku responded. Roku wondered why a civ. class planet would have a shield generator. But then again, most civ. planets had some sort of hidden government alien tech Accumulation Company. Whatever the cause, Roku figured that the people who ran that place would understand the most if an alien showed up on their planet.

Roku descended into the outskirts of the city, activating his ships cloque , as he landed in a forest clearing. He walked to the back of his ship and stood on the beaming platform.

"Descend," Roku said, clearly.

A pillar of light surrounded the captain, as the ships extractor technology beamed him down to the planets surface. The light touched down on the planet, forming a small glowing circle, where Roku landed moments later.

"Just another routine mission," Roku said to himself, but he knew that this was much worse.

_If I'm correct, then I am the last of the New Tharian Empire. The last one of one of the only empires with hopes of defeating the Grox. Time to destroy those evil vermin that destroyed my world!_

Roku pushed aside brushes and branches as he forced his way towards the mysterious city. After 20 seconds of using his hands, Roku got impatient and pulled out his Poison Blade. He made short work of the branches and continued to another clearing.

Roku clamored forward and stumbled right up to a cliff face. "Whoa!" Roku exclaimed, but not because he had just stepped next to a cliff, but because he was now on the edge of a beautiful vista. He could see in the distance, through a huge valley clearing, the city the Tharak had dubbed "Washington D.C."

And there it was. A building was covered in a huge shield. Streams of energy were flowing throughout the mass of kronon energy.

Roku sighed. Something was DEFINITELY going on here. Now to find out what. Roku jumped of the cliff, spread his wings, and began to fly towards the city.

* * *

**So did you like it? Please R&R**

EDIT: This chapter was fixed after I realized that I didn't even include a description of Chase! I can't believe I forgot something like that. Whatever the case, it's there now.**  
**


	4. Fire in the Sky

Happy New Years! Finally got this chapter out! I got so caught up in finals week, and then Christmas madness, that it took me forever to get this chapter out . Not to mention the fact that this chapter turned out about twice as long as I had intended it to be. I couldn't help it! There was so much to include! Some of it's material should proboly have been included in the last chapter. But oh well. It should not take as long for next chapter. Once again, if you have Spore GA, I have released the first adventure following this fanfic. It covers the first 2 chapters. More info. on my profile.

Without further interruption, here is what will probably be the longest chapter in the story.

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**4:** FIRE IN THE SKY

"Mr. President!" shouted a news official, as he stormed into the oval office.

"What could it possibly be now?" the President retaliated, worn down by all of recent bad news.

"We managed to shut down news channels 4, 5, and 9, but we were too late to cancel the rest," the official explained.

"You mean…."

"Yes, the population knows. The shield around the white house has been broadcasted to the far corners of the world… It looks like it's no longer a secret anymore," the official responded.

The president fell back into his chair in exasperation. He couldn't believe what was happening. A system that had worked for so many years was crumbling down. He let out a large sigh as he thought about everything that had just happened.

"How!" the president exclaimed, "How did that… that… KID get past all of our defenses!"

"Allow me too explain," said the commanding officer of the white house guards, as he walked through the open door, "I was there, trying to catch that little rat! He had a teleport device sir, from Area 51. He got out faster than we could catch him."

"Teleport… Gosh he is good. Without that energy signature that he stole from the computer, we won't be able to turn this stupid shield off. It will only strengthen the public's belief in the secrets that we swore we would never disclose! Though… I imagine that's what he wanted," the president said.

"Sir," said the news official, "If you'll allow me to express my opinion. I think that once this whole ordeal is over, we should shut down Area 51 project. Maybe it's time we actually tried to unite the world and reach for the stars ourselves… I mean, this event should be a good motivator."

"And quite right you are," said Roku as he disabled his stealth field. The three officials in the room jumped in fright. An alien... person of some kind materialized out of thin air. It had feathers down its arms and legs, talons for feet, and two huge wings on its back.

"What!?" exclaimed the president.

"Spare the act, Civ. Stage lunatics. I would rather get to the point as fast as possible, instead of continuing to… um… watch the three of you step backwards in fright." Roku said, calmly.

"But… you're… you're…" the president began."

"Captain Roku Azero of the legendary New Tharian Empire, Omnipotent class." Roku finished, "I'm here to warn you of an incoming invasion."

"What… of your people" the commanding officer retaliated.

"No, of the Grox. The scourge of the Aeron galaxy, which I believe you call the "Milky Way" Roku explained, "They will show no mercy when they want something. Everything that stands in the way, HAS TO GO."

"But how are we going to fight these creatures, if you say they are so strong," the president questioned.

"With all the technology you have collected in your 'Area 51.' Even if that isn't enough, _which it probably won't be_, it will be enough to hold them off for a short time. Then I would find a way to sneak onto the mother ship, plant a… um… terraforming device of mine, and watch the Grox lose in about 12 seconds." Roku responded.

"It sounds like you do this all the time," the president said.

"Well…" Roku began.

"Never mind that! The Energy Signature that Chase stole is what allows us to control this technology! Without it, it's all just a pile of junk," the commanding officer interrupted.

"Yes… speaking of that," Roku said, "You said he teleported away? Well… funny thing, teleports. They instantly transmit your body into kronon particles and whisk you away to be rematerialized in another location. Small portable versions, however, usually don't have the capacity to take you more than a few miles. Most empires have fields around their planets to prevent unwanted foreign teleports, but no such luck with this Civ. Stage planet."

"How does this help us?" the Commanding Officer inquired.

Roku didn't respond but began fiddling with something on his wrist. He twisted a few knobs, pressed a few buttons, and then exclaimed, "Ah-ha! There it is, Chase's teleport signature. Barely visible, but definitely trackable."

"Well, then… get him back here!" the Commanding Officer ordered.

"Excuse me, but do you really think you're in the position to be giving orders to me?" Roku responded.

"Um…."

"Whatever, see ya' in a jiffy!" Roku exclaimed, and with one last button press, he dematerialized.

* * *

Chase clamored through the forest. He wasn't sure where he was going at all. He just wanted to get as far away from the city as possible.

_I did it! I actually did it! After years of preparation, I actually pulled it off! The world knows the truth now! Ha!_

He just kept running. Nothing would stop him. Not even….

Chase stumbled into a clearing and gasped. It was definitely not natural. The trees were completely missing in a perfect circle, probably 30 feet in diameter. The ground flattened, in one large crater like formation.

But Chase KNEW what had caused it.

In the center, hovering feet above the ground was a spaceship. One huge black spaceship. Chase looked at it with fright at first, but then… curiosity. He slowly slid around to the side of the vessel, reading the print on the side that said "New Tharian --- Wyvern Class --- Tharak." It was definitely otherworldly. It continued to hover ominously above the ground, barely moving an inch. Chase tried to give it a push, but it didn't budge.

"Enjoying yourself?" said Roku walking up into the clearing, "I deactivated the cloque just to see what you would do."

"Wha…" exclaimed Chase spinning around, "Agh! You.. you're… I… mean… kind… sorta…"

"Not from around?" Roku finished Chase's sentence, "Yes, I am indeed from another world. But I'm here to take back that Energy Signature you stole. Without it, you're planet won't stand a chance against the quickly advancing invasion."

"What so, the government sends aliens to do their bidding now!" Chase retaliated.

"Actually…" Roku began.

"No! I spent my whole life trying to do what I did today! I will not let it end in vein!" Chase interrupted.

"But that's just it!" Roku explained, "If you don't help me, your whole world will die, and your accomplishment will definitely end in vein."

Chase stood their for a moment, frozen in thought.

_What to do?! How… but…. What can I?... Is there a choice… I… I….._

"So?" Roku asked.

Chase turned and darted as fast as he could out of the clearing

"Well… Ok," Roku said with a slight smirk. Roku raised his hand, pointing it at Chase, and said, defiantly, "MIND MELD." A jet of psychokinetic energy burst from the Hypnomelder on Roku's arm. It hit Chase square in the back, sending a shockwave of energy through out his body. He came to a dead stop, with a blank expression on his face.

He then turned around and said, as if none of this had happened, "Master Roku, take me to the President, so that I may return the Energy Signature that I stole and be escorted to prison."

It was an interesting device, the Hypnomelder. Very effective. Instantly caused the enemy to drop what they were doing and follow your order with unsurpassable determination.

"Ahh, yes. That is a good idea," Roku exclaimed, "Why don't we be on our way!" Roku grabbed Chase's arm, and pressed the return button on his teleport.

* * *

With a flip, flap, and boom, Roku and Chase rematerialized back inside of the oval office.

"I believe this is yours president," Roku said, tossing the Energy Key at him, "And you can deal with this little thief. I had to Mind Meld him, so he'll be a little loopy for a while, but he won't remember this at all." Roku pushed Chase toward the commanding officer.

"Excellent, excellent. I must say, good job Roku, you did that in less than 10 minutes. Your technology is very impressive." The commanding officer said moving towards Roku.

"Well, it really was just…" Roku began, but stopped suddenly. The Commanding Officer had raised a gun, pointing it at Roku. "What are you?..."

"Your technology would make a valuable addition to our collection," said the commanding officer, advancing towards Roku, "We've decided to take a different plan of action. Were going to use our technology to blast the Grox out of the sky, and then we'll take advantage of your advanced mind melding device to silence anyone who noticed the commotion, not to mention the shield around the white house. None of this will have ever happened, and we won't have to worry about future outbursts at all."

Roku couldn't believe what was happening. He had heard about the unstable government/technology control present within some planets still within the Civilization Stage, but never actually witnessed it before.

They both just stood there, for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for the other to make a move, or to say something to interrupt the silence. Chase continued to stand in the background, with a sort of dumb, blank expression, waiting for an order. But then something did interrupt the silence.

Roku's SM receiver began beeping, processing an incoming message.

"Tell me!" the commanding officer exclaimed, "What is that device!?"

"My subspace message receiver. It is receiving a message from something in orbit," Roku explained.

"Well, what does it say!" the commanding officer said, still shaking the gun in his hands.

"It says…. It says… Resistance is Futile," Roku said, "There here."

A huge booming noise resonated throughout the sky as a Grox Mothership jumped out of hyperspace. The giant warship, armed to the teeth, began to descend into the upper atmosphere.

"Well then, all the better for you to hand over your hypnomelder," said the commanding officer.

"Now about that…." Roku said, with a smirk on his face, "I don't think I'm going to let that happen. You see I'm from one of the greatest empires in the galaxy, and I'm not going to let some power mad Civ. Stage lunatics end their own world. I think it's time for me to do the awesome space captain thing where I save the world in the nick of time."

"You what?" the commanding officer questioned.

In an instant, Roku sprang forward knocking the officer out of the way, grabbing on to Chase.

"This is how space captains do things," Roku exclaimed. With one last defiant press of the teleportation button on his wrist, he dematerialized.

Both Roku and Chase rematerialized next to the Tharak. With a loud thump, Chase hit the ground, not fully experienced with teleportation. Roku got his footing and then began twisting the reverse knob on his hypnomelder, blasting Chase with the psychokinetic energy once again. The second burst of energy restored Chase to his former self.

"What the…?" Chase exclaimed, confused.

"There is no time to explain," Roku said, quickly, "We have to get into my ship now."

"Why did you help me? You were perfectly happy with sending me to prision. You said that what I had done was bad." Chase questioned.

"Yes… but what is evil but something that goes against a sense of order? Especially when that order is undeveloped and corrupt," Roku explained, "I saved you because I knew you would be a valuable asset. Your skills and mindset are far beyond the rest of your planet. Your like a hamster stuck in a cage. This world isn't big enough for you. THAT'S why you steal things, isn't it. You do it for the ADVENTURE. Come with me, and you'll have the greatest adventure of your life."

Chase stood there for a few seconds then said, "Ok, but then… what now?"

"Now we just need to focus on…" Roku said, pointing up at the sky.

A huge blanket of green colored gas was descending onto the planet, looming ominously in the sky. The source of it, high up in the atmosphere, could be seen, unmistakably, as an artificial wormhole. Visible only by the multitude of green gas that that was spiraling out of it, the Grox had engineered it to transport the gas from wherever it was being manufactured to Earth, as to free the mothership from having to do it itself. The large fumes of gas would spin out from the even horizon and head straight for the planets surface.

Near this incredible sight, orbiting the black hole, was the Grox Mothership. The huge spaceship was shooting a beam of archon particles into the wormhole, sustaining it indefinitely, and allowing it to continue to pump out the strange green gas.

"What… is that…?" Chase said, "All that green gas…."

"It's called Alminar Gas," Roku explained, "I've seen it before. My race became one of the strongest races in the galaxy because of our finding of a mysterious object that we called the 'Hypercube.' The rest of the story is beside the point, but when the scientists tried to extract particles from it, the cube released an abundance of deadly "alminar" gas. When the Grox took over Thar, they must have obtained the hypercube, and are now manufacturing their own gas… as a weapon."

"You mean… that gas will kill us?!" Chase shouted, "How long until it reaches the surface?"

"Only ten minutes… at most," Roku responded.

"Then WHY ARE WE STILL STANDING HERE!" Chase exclaimed.

"Good point. Let's Go," Roku said, dashing towards the Tharak. Both Chase and Roku stood underneath the Tharak's Extraction Beam. Roku said, clearly, "Ascend." A pillar of light shot from the bottom of the Tharak and encircled Chase and Roku. Seconds later, the two of them were lifted of their feet as the Tharak ascended them into the ship.

"That was weird," Chase commented, as they got fully inside the ship. Roku ran forward and bounced into his seat.

"You might want to take a seat as well," Roku said, "This is going to be a VERY bumpy ride." After pressing a button on the ships control panel, another Chair ascended form the floor. Chase took a seat, and quickly discovered that the seat belt was actually a small focused shield.

"Here we go," Roku said, as he activated the Tharak's main engine. The ship began to move up and out of the forest, a low hum echoing throughout the clearing. Then, the Tharak's twin dark energy engines ignited and blasted the ship into the sky, faster than the speed of sound. Higher and Higher they climbed, passing through the cloud of dense alminar gas, and up into the realm of the Grox Mothership.

Roku pulled back a lever, causing the Tharak to slow to a halt.

"Whoa…." said Chase, looking out the window. The Earth was below, but it was nowhere near as beautiful as it normally was. At least 40% of the planet was being blanketed in the Alminar Gas.

"You said… ten minutes before that gas reaches the surface…" Chase asked.

"Yes, we have to hurry." Roku responded. Roku jammed forward on of the levers, and spun the Tharak around, so that they were face to face with the grox mother ship. It was huge, much larger than their seemingly tiny spaceship. State of the art photon cannons lined practically the entire rim of the enormous space vessel, along with multiple anti-matter and planet buster launching decks. Even a primitive species, like the humans, would know that this spaceship meant NOTHING good. Instinct told anyone that gazed upon the Grox Mothership to run for their life…. or fly… whatever the case.

Roku took a deep breath and pushed the Tharak forward. It blazed through the upper atmosphere, towards the monstrous lair of the Grox.

"What are you doing?!" Chase exclaimed.

"What we captains always do. Save the day." Roku replied. They were speeding towards the mothership, showing no sign of slowing down. When it seemed they were mere feet from impact, Roku screamed, "Launch Staff Charge 24!" The exterior of the Tharak glowed with energy as the Staff of life within the ships terrafoming module released a charge of its life-giving energy. The glowing green energy, the same energy that caused life to sprout on uninhabitable worlds, crashed into the surface of the Grox Shield. Unlike the white house shield, Grox shields were composed of archon energy, an exotic particle that no one but the Grox had managed to control. This same energy was fed through the all of the Grox anti-terraforming methods as well, causing the substance to be classified as the ultimate anti-life. But Roku knew from experience that it didn't fare so well with the ultimate energy of life, the Staff of Life.

Seconds afterward, they could see the Grox shield tear open, in one huge collapse of the archon energy, as it fled from the ultimate force of life, leaving the mothership open and completely vulnerable. The resulting blast, forced the Tharak back a great distance away from the ship.

"If that's what you needed to do… then why did we need to get so close?" Chase inquired.

"3… 2… 1" Roku said, calmly. The anti-matter bomb that Roku had planted on the exposed hull of the ship at the last second, detonated, blasting a huge breach in the side of the mothership. "You see," Roku exclaimed, "This is how we space captains do it. We make our own entrance!"

Roku blasted the Tharak forward once again, speeding into the gap created by the bomb. They dodged pieces of wreckage as they flew into the depths of the dark vessel. Left, Right, Left, they flew, through the many complicated hallways of the ruined portion of the ship.

They reached the ship's core, intact, as it was a safe distance from the explosion. And there it was, the Singularity Generator. A huge pillar of archon energy, that provided the power necessary to sustain an artificial black hole.

"Ok, I'm goanna do the same thing we did to the shield, just with… " Roku began, but suddenly the Tharak stopped. They were caught in a tractor beam. The Grox had obviously seen them, and were stopping at nothing to protect the energy core. Slowly, the Tharak descended to the surface of the stone cold Grox floor. With a thump they landed on the dark metal that composed most of the interior of the mothership.

"You will exit your vessel now!" commanded a Grox officer.

Chase a Roku both slowly stepped out of the Tharak, stunned by the unexpected amount of security. At least 20 cyber-enhanced Grox warriors stood in a circle around the Tharak, all of them pointing their weapons at the two intruders.

"Teleport unnecessary human back to planet!" exclaimed the Grox who appeared to be the commander. Another Grox walked over to a control panel and flipped a few switches. Seconds later, Chase disappeared in a whirl of energy.

"What have you done?!" retaliated Roku.

"Returned him to the rest of his kind, as to allow for maximum troops. The battle lies ahead. And we WILL have the strongest force!" responded the commander.

"Let's add that to the list of things I never thought I would see the Grox do. First of all, why would you want to gas a planet? Knowing your race, you would much prefer to just blow it up." Roku questioned.

"Do you dare question the almighty authority of the Grand Master!?" retaliated the Commander.

"Now wait this time! Who is this 'Grand Master.' I wish to know of his… um… great wisdom… and… um… incredible divine… power…?" Roku asked, hesitantly.

"He is the strongest being in all of the universe! His wisdom allowed us to lead the attack on Thar, and retrieve your precious 'Hypercube.' He is the ultimate authority!" exclaimed the commander.

"Well… " Roku began.

"Silence!" interrupted the commander, "the last of the race with any hope of stopping us will now fall! You will die here, and now!" The Commander raised a Pulse Cannon, pointing it right at Roku.

In desperation, Roku cried, "Command 7789842!" The Tharak made a low whir and a hum, and then launched the staff of life from a compartment in the top. It then descended, only to be caught by Roku, with a smirk on his face.

"Agh!" exclaimed the commander, along with the rest of the Grox. They couldn't stand the force of life. They were creatures that thrived so well in T0, that the force of ultimate life was poision to them. They all cowered at the sight of the Staff.

"Now I'd like to do things my way! How do you shut this wormhole you have created… well… off?" Roku retaliated.

"You can't… it's already self-sustaining!" cried the commander.

"Always have to do EVERYTHING myself. Well then…… Command 778443." Roku said. A charge from the staff of life was released and absorbed back into the Tharak. The command Roku had initiated would auto-release the charge in 30 seconds.

"Now for the grand finale!" Roku exclaimed. Roku ran forward jumping into the cores beam of archon energy.

"What are you doing?!" said the commanding officer.

"Saving the day!" Roku replied, disappearing into the mass of archon energy. The staff in Roku's hand repeled the archon energy around him, that would have otherwise engulfed him. The force began pushing Roku forward in the direction of the energy flow. In a sense, he was now riding the wave of archon energy. He speed up, rushing through one huge tunnel, leading straight out of the mothership. He blasted out of the grox vessel, blazing through the upper atmosphere, riding the beam of archon energy. Thank god for personal shielding technology. Without it he would die in the vacuum of space.

He knew this was the same beam that was feeding power to the artificial wormhole, so he knew where he was heading. He heard a loud boom behind him, as the charge that he had armed the Tharak with released its energy. He turned his head to see the Mothership falling apart in disrepair. No Grox aboard that ship could have survived that much life energy. Then turning back to the artificial wormhole before him, he pointed the staff at the center of the event horizon, and screamed, "Release Charge 22."

And, under the same principle that it had been used the last two times, all of the archon energy that was used to create and sustain the wormhole, scattered when blasted with the ultimate life energy. In the wormholes last moments, it entered a kronon reversal loop, causing any matter laced with its exotic particles, like the alminar gas, to be reabsorbed into its depths. In an instant, the wormhole collapsed, in one huge glorious explosion of bright shining light.

_I did it,_ Roku thought.

Floating through open space, he pressed the return button on his teleport. Almost instantaneously, he reappeared inside his Tharak. Ecstatic, Roku jumped back into the drivers seat and piloted it out of the empty shell of the Grox Mothership.

Speeding back down into the atmosphere, Roku found Chase's signature on the Tharak's life form screen. Never could forget that face. The Tharak descended into Washington D.C., landing in one of the street squares, where Chase stood there, with a dumbstruck expression on his face. Roku once again descended out of the Tharak.

"You just…" Chase began.

"Saved the day. Like all space captains." Roku finished, "Come on, it's time you actually got the adventure you wanted. I still have quite a lot to learn about this mysterious Grand Master, and why the Grox considered the humans here 'troops.' But perhaps… you've had enough adventure for one day?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I'm coming with you!" Chase said, "I'm ready to take on whatever's out there. Well… but I don't have any cool weapons like you?"

"Do you think these are my only weapons?!" Roku exclaimed, "Come on, it's time to kick some evil little red gremlin but!"

Chase couldn't hide his smile as he jumped forward into to stand next to Roku. Chase took a deep breath, looking at the stars. THAT'S where he was heading.

"Ascend." Roku said.

* * *

**Once again, please Review. I would like to know how I'm doing. **

_And trust me. This story is far from over. You still have no idea who the Grand Master is do you? Well, wait and see....._


	5. The Will of Spode

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**5:** THE WILL OF SPODE

* * *

_"That is why we are vigilant against those who do not accept the Truth. If false doctrine causes a follower to doubt, that person's eternal happiness is in jeopardy! In order to free ourselves from doubt, we strive to eliminate all who reject Spode's Word." -_Scrolls of Faith (Book 5)

_ "Spode's greatest enemies are the Grox and those who believe in the false God That Will Come." –_Scrolls of Faith (Book 6)

"Descend!" Maruck commanded.

It was definitely a bit of a cliché. Every captain had some sort of voice recognition technology, but you have to admit. It's a bit redundant. Just "Descend?" Not something else, maybe a little bit less obvious? If the enemy had the entire zone sound monitored and they heard "descend," well… they'd be sure to have absolutely _no idea_ what that meant.

This was Maruck. An admiral class captain of the Scorpnak Empire. He personally was not at all serious when it came to his job. He was a captain that could find the joke in just about anything, even in the face of enemies. Though this sometimes led him into trouble, he was a space captain after all.

The Scorpnak Empire was not at all large, but it had recently achieved "Class 7 Space Empire" status after being uplifted by the New Tharian Empire. As the name might refer, their physical appearance is akin to that of the Scorpion. They have a skin tone of dark green, with large splots of brown across the chest and back. The have claws for feet, and one large tail that extends from their backside. It curves in a long arch, the end of it hovering about a foot above the top of the head. At the end of this appendage was a Poison Spit launcher. However, this was an evolutionary advantage that was rarely used anymore. Nowadays, the Scorpnak Captains would simply strap a rocket launcher or Lightning Blade to the end of their tail.

They were a race of bards. They were not at all war-mongers, but had the capability to spark a war if necessary. They, like all Bard races, followed the Philosophy of Chance. They looked at the universe as their own personal playground -- A story just waiting to be told -- Something that no one would ever fully comprehend. They were making both allies and enemies, and slowly expanding their empire. They got into little conflicts, until they met the Poppero.

A race that followed the word of Spode so strictly, that they would destroy the likes of an entire planet if the inhabitants refused to follow the "glory and honor of the great path of spode." They were an insectoid race, with pincers for a mouth and, strangely, a fat belly. As the story goes, the Poppero were once allied with the New Tharian Empire, until the Tharians saw darkness within the hearts of their comrades, and dismissed the alliance. The Poppero stormed across the galaxy, attempting to force "the will of spode" upon all those who did not believe. If you rejected their word, the Poppero labeled you a "follower of the dark one" or "slave of The False God That Will Come," and destroyed your civilization. Even after all of this, they were still not nearly as strong as the Grox, or the New Tharians. They would never dare combat either of those galactic forces.

Now the Poppero had turned their attention to the Scorpnak Empire, who was not at all prepared for this onslaught.

Maruck was on Pithtish-4, a planet that the Scorpnak had recently established a colony on. He was dispatched after the council received a distress message reading only "they are here….." Maruck knew what that meant. The Poppero had finally found the location of one of their colony's, and were engaging in all out warfare.

Maruck dashed forward, out of the shadow of his ship, his powerful scorpnak legs propelling him forward. He looked around. Cold, snow, and a landscape of ice. The planet was known for its barren snowy mountains and constant below freezing temperatures. Little to no plant life existed on this T1 planet. The Scorpnak had just recently colonized it, and were still working on the whole "Terraforming" technology bit.

He knew that a massive shield surrounded the colony, keeping the cold temperatures out. However, it was not completely necessary, as all scorpnak had a thick hide which protected them from most of nature's extremes. Just look at Maruck, standing in the middle of a frozen forest, with no clothing other than his simple captain uniform. The shield was a means of keeping the imperfect atmosphere out for the long period of time that most people resided in the colony.

Maruck came bursting out into a clearing. He could, in the very distance, see the colony. It was a massive dome like formation, with a huge blue shield around the exterior. And, unmistakably, hovering above it, was a Poppero warship. Maruck gritted his teeth as he stared at it.

_Those foul creatures!_, Maruck thought, _Why do go to this end?!_

Maruck continued to run forward, taking long strides as he slid down a snowy hill. He then saw, not far ahead, a spice mining depot. It was an external form of collecting spice outside of the colony. It was just a small base, but there was at least ten scorpnak standing around outside, staring at the Poppero ship in disbelief.

"Jux'Nathul, long time no see!" Maruck said, jumping over a small spice extractor and walking towards his friend.

"What are you doing here?!" Jux responded.

"The same as usual, saving a couple of planets." Maruck replied, "What's going on?"

"You can't even imagine how lucky we are. I don't believe the Poppero even know that this small base exists. We may just go untouched," Jux said.

"Hard to believe," Maruck said, "The Poppero will destroy everything on this planet in the end."

"Thanks for the encouragement," Jux said, sarcastically.

"Anytime," Maruck exclaimed, "And… just a quick question. Doesn't this planet have an Uber Turret?"

"You mean the one the Tharians donated to us? Yeah, it does. I bet you were wondering why it hadn't blasted that Poppero ship out of the sky yet." Jux replied.

"That's why I'm here." Maruck said.

"The first thing the Poppero did upon their arrival was enter the city peacefully. They gave us the option to join the word of Spode, and, when we refused, they sabotaged the power crystals within the Uber Turret. Us ten got out of the colony just before they brought in this armada." Jux explained, pointing at the warship.

Maruck stood there for a moment, trying to find a solution to their current predicament. Most, if not all, captains had training the in the area of problem solving, so it was no surprise that Maruck jumped up and down seconds later.

"What?" Jux questioned.

"The colony's shield… it has its own set of power crystals right?" Maruck asked.

"Yeah"

"Well, couldn't we just use them to repower the Uber Turret?" Maruck explained. A smile curved across Maruck's face, as a look of disbelief and excitement appeared on Jux's.

"Oh…. Well… I guess…. It might…." Jux muttered.

"Looks like we've got a plan." Maruck said, defiantly.

"But wait… what if?" Jux began.

"Bye!" Maruck shouted, as he once again began to run across the landscape. He was at an all-out sprint, forcing himself towards the colony. As he got closer, he could see the distinct features of the Poppero Warship. Large, round, and almost like a bowling ball, it hovered above the colonys shield. He saw multiple raiding vessels descending past the colony's shield. They were dropping off land raiders, something that pointed out a serious flaw in the shields design. It was only meant as an atmospheric containment device, not a defense mechanism. Seeing this, Maruck increased his pace. He was running as fast as his scorpnak legs could take him, forcing his way through what little trees the planet had.

_Jump over a crevice, left right…. Dodge a tree, jump over a rock… come on, I've got to get to the colony NOW!_

He burst out into another clearing, and there it was, towering above him. The Scorpnak colony. Before him was the main entrance, a huge arch with two large defense turrets on either side. Both of which were completely in ruin. It was like a disaster scene. This was what happened when you disobeyed the will of spode.

_Time to end this._

Maruck dashed forward, but instead of barging through the main entrance, which would be stupid, he curved to the right, and found the secondary spice entrance, where the mined spice was transported to the manufacturing depots on the inside of the colony.

He jumped through the spice deposit shoot, sliding through the tube, and eventually falling into a vat of red spice.

_ Mmmmmm…. My favorite._

After taking a short gulp of the spice, Maruck leapt out of the bin, and jumped towards the door. He pulled it open to reveal the inside of the colony.

Chaos everywhere.

His fellow scorpnak were running in every direction, attempting to dodge the death rays of the massive Poppero ship above. Some of his comrades were fighting the Poppero land raiders. They slashed, and swiped, and scratched, but it was of no avail. The Poppero's shielding made them seemingly invincible to the common civilian. But Maruck wasn't a common civilian.

He, almost automatically, pulled out his pulse cannon. A small portable device, that when activated, fired a deadly beam of high concentrated electricity that killed almost anything in its path. He pointed it directly at the nearest Poppero and fired. The blast of energy hit the creature square in the chest, sending him falling to the ground, every cell in his body shocked to death.

"Thank you captain Maruck, you saved us," said one the Scorpnak that had been fighting the invader.

"Yeah… now where is the uber turret?" Maruck questioned.

"Well it's kind of not…." the civilian began.

"WHERE?!" Maruck interrupted.

"Its still in its docking bay over by the science depot. What are you going to…" the civilian continued.

"Got to go!" Maruck exclaimed, running off once again.

He was dashing through the colony, not looking back. Above him, fleets of Scorpnak ships were plucked out of the sky, and around him hoards of Poppero raiders were slaughtering innocent scorpnak.

Maruck slid to a halt in front of the colony's shield battery, in the process blasting the Poppero guarding it with another shot from the pulse cannon. He came to the control panel, typed the in the password, and slid open the metal frame. Inside, were three glowing power crystals, emanating kronon energy. They were the crown jewel of scorpnak technology. A Self-replicating, clean and efficient source of energy. He grinned at the sight of them.

_These might just work!_

He pulled them out of their respective sockets, at the same time dismissing a warning from the computer about the shutdown of the colony's shield. After he had all three in his hands, he strapped them onto his belt, and took off running again.

Above him the shield began to flicker, no longer in possession of its power source. Seconds later it disappeared, in a flash of energy. It was indeed convenient that, due to their thick hides, the scorpnak could survive up to 3 days without that protection.

Maruck could see in the distance, the science depot. He was sprinting as fast as his legs could take him. When he was nearly 20 yards from his destination, he heard the dreaded sound. The sound that sent the colonists shivering in fear. It was the sound of the Poppero mothership powering up its anti-matter cannons. If they weren't stopped soon, the entire colony would be nothing but a crater in a matter of seconds.

"Recall! Recall!" shouted a Poppero commander, to his fellow warriors. In a flash of kronon energy, the entirety of the Poppero land raiding fleet was teleported back up to the safety of the mothership. The scorpnak colonists were now standing around, looking up in horror at the Poppero ship above, the one that was sure to seal their doom.

"Quickly! Get over here!" shouted Maruck, to one of the scientists standing outside of the depot.

"What!" retaliated the professor.

"The… uber turret… needs… needs…" said Maruck, out of breath, "I have…. Crystals…. Could you… put them in the turret?" Maruck pulled out the three power crystals, holding them in front of the professor. The scientist took them, a look of exasperation appearing on his face.

"Follow me!" exclaimed the professor. He took off, with Maruck following close behind him.

"You might want to hurry!" Maruck shouted, "We don't have much time!"

"I understand!" responded the professor, sprinting around to the back side of the science building.

They reached a small courtyard to the side of the science depot. There, hovering on a docking platform, drained of its mighty power, was the Uber Turret.

It just stayed there, moving ever so slightly up and down. It had two large solar panels, a central core, and one mega dark energy laser. Empires that possessed one were usually treated with utmost respect. Luckily for the scorpnak, the New Tharians had donated one to them.

"Hurry! Turn this thing on now!" Maruck commanded.

The professor shoved the three power crystals into the turrets energy compartment. After surreptitiously closing the hull of the turret, he began to press multiple buttons on the docking platforms computer.

"Agh!" he said, after coming to an authorization screen.

"What?" Maruck asked.

"We've never had to power it up a second time. The Tharians did it the first time," the professor explained.

"And"

"It requires a password! One that was never disclosed the scorpnak," the professor exclaimed.

"Let me try," Maruck said, pushing the professor out of the way. He looked at the screen. On it was a blank line, consisting of 13 blank characters.

_What password could the Tharians possibly have come up with?_

He tried "Grox", "Turret", "Spode", "Roku", and "Kronon," but came up with nothing.

"HURRY!" shouted the professor, looking up at the mother ship. A glowing ball of energy was appearing on the outside of the ship. The Anti-Matter Bomb was ready to fire.

Maruck stared at the console.

_What is it!?_

After trying his own name as a password, it came up with a password hint. It simply said "Biorod."

_Biorod…_ Maruck thought, _I have heard legends…. Bio means life… and a rod is a type of staff. Could the stories have been true? Could it really exist?_

Maruck, in a last act of desperation, typed the words "Staff of Life" into the password dock. It was then he realized that it was exactly 13 characters long, and, sure enough, the computer accepted it.

In a glorious rumble of power, the Uber Turret began to power up. Seconds later, the kronon shield appeared around the outside of the device, and the Turret itself began to lift up from the platform. Rising, it began its auto-programed, enemy destruction program.

"Yes! Yes!" Maruck exclaimed, "It's working!"

The Uber Turret ascended higher, and higher, to a plane level with that of the mothership. He could see, in an act of desperation, the mothership firing up its engines, attempting to fly away. In a marvelous beam of energy, the turret fired its unstoppable death ray. Dark Energy collided with the surface of the Poppero mothership. So strong was the power of the Uber Turret, that the ray broke through the shield in seconds, hitting the hull with all of its force.

"Were saved!" shouted the professor.

The mother ship broke apart in seconds, exploding in a massive column of fire. Maruck could hear the screams of the Poppero on board the ship. All of them trying to escape their doom.

_Where's your spode now!_

Pieces of the mothership were scattered across the sky, as the Uber Turret began to circle around the colony, protecting it once more.

"You did it," the professor said, "How did you?..."

Maruck was still in awe that it had actually worked. He stood there speechless, still looking at where the mother ship had once been.

"I… I… am just awesome that's how," Maruck said defiantly.

Bleep. Bleep.

Maruck quickly grabbed his SMR. The Message simply read:

**Congratulations on your victory, meet me in front of the science depot.**

_Who could this be now?_

Maruck trotted out and around the depot. There, standing near the entrance, were two new visitors. And they were definitely not from this planet, nor were they scorpnak at all. One stood straight, with pink skin, two hands, two legs, and a funny little primitive outfit. The other, well, Maruck recognized immediately as a New Tharian.

"Captain Maruck! What a pleasure to meet you at last!" said the tharian, "My name is Captain Roku, and this is… um… Chase."

"Wait… Captain Roku?" Maruck asked.

"Yes, my comrade here saw this battle as we were flying by. He wanted to see what was happening," Roku explained.

"And you were so cool!" Chase exclaimed, "So many explosions, and epic battles, and that awesome uber turret!" Maruck just stood their with a slight grin on his face.

"The point is, that we want you to join our little team. You would be a valuable asset in our fight against the Grox," Roku said.

"I accept. There hasn't been much of anything interesting happening around here before… um… this mess." Maruck said.

"Great! Now just follow me back to my ship. I'm sure we can find a place for you." Roku said.

Roku began to walk along down the colony street, with Maruck and Chase in tow. Just as they were approaching the Tharak's extraction beam, they heard a noise. Spinning around, the group saw a lone Poppero sitting up against a building. It obviously had not been picked up by the initial escape teleport. It looked weak, with multiple bruises and scars around its body.

"What are you still doing here!?" Maruck shouted.

"It is not I that speaks, but the might of Spode himself!" exclaimed the Poppero, "It is said in the book of Spode: Three will rise to conquer the darkness, the false god that will come, brought upon this world by the evil… of the tesseract."

"What is he talking about?" Chase whispered to Roku.

It was then that the Poppero slid down to the ground, no life in its eyes.

"What did he mean?" Maruck asked.

"I think…. " Roku said, "That it's now time to go."

"Good thinking," Chase said.

The newly formed group stepped into the Tharak's extraction beam.

"Would you do the honors?" Roku asked Chase.

"Ascend!" commanded Chase.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! But hey... at least they're decently long. I will soon have both Spore adventures "Fire in the Sky" and "The Will of Spode" out soon, so look forward to that.


	6. The First Mission

_Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I got caught up in other things, but I've finally go this out. Part of the reason for the delay was that this chapter was becoming ridiculously long. I finally decided that I would just release the first half as a separate chapter. So, rest assured, that the next chapter will be released quite soon._

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**6:** THE FIRST MISSION

_"Being useful to the grox is good for your survival."_

_-The Grox_

Civet took long strides forward. He had a mission, and would uphold the wishes of the Grand Master. As he marched through the dark passageway, the Dronox soldiers stood to attention, each of them mechanically snapping upright, their bionic eye twitching at the sight of their commander.

Civet smiled at the sight of it. They were all willing to serve, and die, in moment's notice, in order to retain the almighty glory of the Grox Empire. Not a thought passed their mind as they fought the disgusting, inferior races in the outskirts of the Aeron Galaxy. The Dronox were the perfect race. Genetically created, and mutated by the Grox. They were able to survive on, and eventually destroy, T1 or above worlds. Nothing would stand in their way.

For the Grox would NOT lose the glory they had achieved so many years ago, _Commander Civet was sure of that_. His distant ancestor had once brought the empire to a glorious advancement, one that could have allowed them to acquire untold power. Even though they were still the strongest empire in the known universe, they knew that they could achieve more. Civet wanted the _glory_, and _unfathomable power_ that his ancestor had spoken of. And he was prepared to do anything to get it.

Commander Civet approached the "great doorway." A huge black set of double doors, standing straight up, reaching into the sky. Or at least, whatever sky this planet had. Along the edge of the doorway, written in incredibly old Grox dialect, was a message. It read:

_These are the doorways of Xorgo. Beyond lies the master of all. The God of all. The one who will bring salvation to all. The destroyer of all unworthy. The Grand Master. He sits upon his throne undisturbed, omniscient, a god. He commands his empire to burn across the stars, to achieve ultimate glory, all from his throne beyond the doorway of Xorgo._

The doors swung open, a huge boom echoing through the dark hall. Beyond lied the great throne room. It was lined with statues of the grox high nobles. Each statue stood tall, equidistant from eachother, and pointing directly at the throne in the center of the room. The floor and walls were composed of a dark metal alloy, indestructible by all other empire's means. Etched into the floor's surface, was the allusive "Spode's Eye," at the center of which was the Grand Master's Throne. There was no ceiling, merely an opening to the sky of Xorgo, the unimaginably toxic Grox homeworld.

"Step forth!" commanded the Grand Master.

"Yes my lord!" Civet responded, robotically, as he immediately entered the hall and bowed down. No living creature was worthy enough to stare upon the Grand Master's godliness.

"What is your purpose?" inquired the Grand Master.

"We have reports…" began Civet.

"OF WHAT!" interrupted the Grand Master.

"Of… Of… " said Civet, with a slight stutter now, "Roku's whereabouts… my lord."

"Agh. Exellent. That little pest will finally fall to my glory, as did the rest of his pathetic race," said the Grand Master.

"Sir, he is heading towards Kepla-2… The planet where we…" Civet explained.

"I know the purpose of the planet! Do you consider me a fool?" retaliated the Grand Master.

"Negative, sir… I just wanted to…" Civet tried to respond.

"Enough. We need to set up a decent trap. Something to finally stop Roku in his tracks," said the Grand Master

"Yes… well… sir?"

"WHAT!"

"It's not just him," Civet said, "He has two new partners now. Captain Maruck, and an Earth civilian."

"Well then! It seems that they will suffer the same fate!" shouted the Grand Master.  
"Of course my lord!" Civet responded.

"Now… prepare the mothership!" said the Grand Master, "It's time to meet these captains face to face….."

* * *

As the Tharak touched down upon the surface of the planet, Roku jumped out of his seat, ecstatic, running to the back of the ship. He slipped past both Chase and Maruck, who quickly spun around to see what he was doing.

"What are you so exited about?" Chase asked Roku.

"Nothing," said Roku, as he shuffled through a cargo box near the back of the ship, "It's just that were finally on another mission."

"And… yeah… where are we?" Chase responded.

"I've already told you!" Roku retaliated.

"We'll I know what you told me. I just… still have no idea what you meant!" Chase said.

"Grox infested planet "276ΔGT-13" otherwise dubbed "Kepla-2" by the Galactic Alliance," Roku explained.

"And…" Chase said, with a hint of sarcasam in his voice, "Why are we here?"

"Like I said…" Roku said, as he continued to pull out random items from the cargo box, "Investigating energy signatures." Roku was having to stuff almost half of his body into the cargo box, forcing him to tuck in his wings to reach the lowermost contents of the box.

"And… any more info?" Chase asked.

"Agh, here they are!" Roku said, ignoring Chase's question, and pulling out two small glowing devices, each about the size and shape of a shirt pin. "Personal shield generators. They create a small pocket of sustainable artificial atmosphere. They aren't very effective against oncoming attacks, but they will protect you from most environments that would otherwise be considered 'hostile.'"

"Why do we need them?" Maruck questioned.

"It's a Grox planet. What do you expect? It's T0 out there, no living creature, we'll… other than a grox, could survive on its surface. Incredibly volcanic with high pressure heat currents and an atmosphere consisting of… oh… wait… nothing," Roku explained.

Roku tossed both of the shield devices to Maruck and Chase. They caught them, a look of curiosity overcoming them as they examined the surface of the devices. "Oh.. and… yes… you still have defensive shields as well," Roku continued, "They're a separate part of your suit. But you should never trust your life to a shield. "

"How did the New Tharians gain such technology?" Maruck asked.

"Well... I guess… it was… the hyper…" Roku responded.

"The What?" Maruck replied.

"Nothing… anyway… on with the mission?" Roku exclaimed.

Maruck stepped forward.

"Hold on… couldn't you just use your um… what's it called?... 'staff of life' on the planet. I mean… what's stopping you?" Maruck said.

"I tried as we were entering the atmosphere. There is some sort of incredibly strong power source on the other side of the planet preventing the use of the staff." Roku explained.

"Wow…" Chase said.

"Why didn't you just land over on that side of the planet then?" Maruck said.

"I would have, but the disturbance from the energy was messing with the ships navigation. It would have been to dangerous to attempt a landing." Roku explained.

"You mean like… black hole disturbance?" Maruck responded.

"Exactly! Which leads me to believe that the reason were here is correct!" Roku exclaimed.

"And why's that?" Chase asked.

"Remember the wormhole back on Earth? How it was emitting alminar gas through a wormhole? Well… the gas itself had to have been manufactured somewhere, and transferred through an initial wormhole to reach its destination." Roku said.

"You mean? This is where that toxic gas was created?" Chase exclaimed.

"Yes. At least… that's what I believe," Roku responded.

"We'll… hold on… back up. How are we supposed to get to the other side of the planet?" Maruck said.

"The Tharak's scanners show a small Grox outpost in the vicinity. If we can get there, there will probably be some form of teleport…" Roku began.

"…to the other side of the planet!" Chase finished.

* * *

The Grox Mother!ship exited hyperspace above Kepla-2.

"My lord," said a Grox pilot, "We have arrived at your intended destination."

"Do you believe that your god would not know such a thing?" retaliated the Grand Master.

"Of course not, I just…"

"That's what I thought."

The Grand Master was situated in a large throne, in the exact center of command deck. Lining the walls were countless control panels, covered in untranslatable Grox symbols. Across from almost every panel was a corresponding Grox operator. Mechanically they pressed buttons, flipped switches, and pulled levers. The command deck was only a small portion of the entire mothership. Visible out the front window was the massive front portion of the vessel.

Like the one that was above Sol III, this mothership was lined with a seemingly ridiculous amount of weaponary. Hundreds of anti-matter bombs, thousands of anti-matter missles, and even a few planet busters. And, at the core of the mothership, was the archon reactor. A pillar of deadly exotic particles that no other empire had even attempted to control.

The Grand Master grinned in pleasure as he saw the planet before him. Seas of lava, extreme temperatures, and huge earthquakes, things that the grox treasured in planets. With no atmosphere, the planet was completely exposed to the sun. Every particle of the powerful UV rays pounded the surface of Kepla-2. Any non-Grox creature would die on its surface.

"Take us down to the factory," commanded the Grand Master, "That is where those infernal captains will go."

"Of course my lord," responded a Grox operator.

The mother ship began to descend into the atmosphere.

* * *

"Chase, get down!" exclaimed Maruck. Chase flung himself to the ground as a beam of plasma flew over his head. It barely singed the top of his hair. The Grox solider that had fired it slid back behind a pillar.

"Roku, you better hurry up," Chase shouted, "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up!" The Grox poked back out from behind the pillar. With an expression of madness, he fired yet another blast of plasma from his energy rifle. Maruck's shield took the full force of the blast. Maruck felt its energy level drop significantly. As a trained captain he immediately jumped to the right behind his own protective pillar. He could not afford to take another blast like that.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" retaliated Roku. Roku was fiddling wildly with wires underneath a Grox teleporter. If he could get it to work, then the three captains could get out of their current situation. Unfortunately, he was having to, in essence, "hotwire" the teleporter to allow non-Grox personnel to pass through.

"Chase, I don't have enough power left to use my own plasma pulser. I lost most of it absorbing the last blast," Maruck shouted, "Your going to have to finish him off."

Chase nodded in response, a look of determination then overcoming him. Chase looked out from behind his pillar, to see the Grox solider once again poking his head out from behind the pillar. However, Chase also discovered, to his horror, that at least twelve more Dronox soliders were running down the dark hallway towards them. In a quick attempt to survive, Chase instinctively pulled out his Missile Flinger and fired at the base of the pillar that the Grox solider was hiding behind. The missle collided upon the support, causing a huge crack to appear on its surface. Moments later, the pillar itself began to collapse, causing the ceiling above it to become structurally unsound. Quickly, Chase again fired upon the pillar directly across the hall from the first one. This time, as the pillar collapsed, the entire ceiling began to crumble without support.

"Maruck! Get Back!" exclaimed Chase at the top of his lungs. They ran back from their positions towards where Roku was standing, just as the ceiling itself collapsed upon the thirteen Grox soliders. A loud crashing sound followed, as the passageway that they had come through was completely blocked off. Rubble, debris, and dust were dispersed throughout the room.

"Well done," said Maruck, with a smile on his face.

"Oh.. It was nothing," responded Chase, coughing in the dust, "I think I'm finally getting used to this space captain stuff."

"You got that thing working yet?" Maruck asked Roku, as he spun around to face him.

"Just about…" Roku said, "Just got to twist this last thing… and… there. We should now be able to pass through and not get killed."

"'Should…?'" Chase said hesitantly.

"Well… there is always a chance of… well… best to not tell you. Anyway, are you guys ready?"

"Of course were ready! Did you see what I just did back there! Totally EPIC!" Chase exclaimed, excitedly.

"Yep. My energy is restored and ready for another battle," Maruck said.

"Great," Roku said. With one of his talons, Roku flipped one last switch on the base of the teleporter. It instantly lit up with energy, causing a steady flow of light to protrude from the surface.

"Here we go," Roku said. Roku took one big step forward onto the surface of the pad. He immediately disappeared in a disperse of bright kronon energy. Awed at this, it took Chase a second to accept what had just happened. Maruck grabbed Chase's arm, and pulled him through the teleporter with him.

White light engulfed the passengers, as their molecular structure was taken apart and reassembled almost instantaneously in the corresponding teleport on the other side of the planet.

As Chase stepped out of the exit teleport, he saw Roku lying on the ground, out cold. To his horror, he saw Maruck struggling against three Dronox soldiers, attempting to not allow the same to be done to him. Then, moments later, Chase was shot in the arm with dart. Inside was a very powerful Grox Anesthetic, the same one that had taken out Roku and Maruck. Chase fought against the overwhelming dizziness, but inevitably failed.

* * *

_So to all of you people kind enough to spend some time in the slightly pitiful Spore section of Fan Fiction, I applaud you. You would be my best friend if you would spend the time to review my story. I'll get the next chapter up shortly after I get at least one more review. Constructive Criticism welcome. Thanks! Get ready, because this story is starting to get interesting._


	7. A Dark Power

_Ok, here we go, the second part of the previous chapter. Fasten your seatbelts because I'm doing a double-update. I once again began to include A LOT of information in one chapter and realized it needed to be separated once again. Agh.. working to hard, what a horrible problem to have. Anyway, this time you don't have to wait, as I'm uploading the next chapter at almost exactly the same time. I won't be surprised if you don't review this chapter, as both chapters will be appearing almost simultaneously._

_Enjoy!  
_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**7:** A DARK POWER

_"The universe you inhabit is but one of many countless worlds, unseen but yet connected."_

_-Steve_

Chase snapped his eyes open.

He couldn't see anything. That was the first thing he noticed. Some form of blindfold had been strapped across his face.

That was the least of his problems.

When he tried to move his arms and legs, he realized that such an action was completely impossible. He wasn't tied to anything, nor were there any ropes binding his limbs together.

_What is this? Why can't I move?_

It was a horrible feeling. Almost as if all of Chase's limbs had been paralyzed. He was stuck in a standing up position, his hands behind his back, and his legs stuck together. Everything in his body was stiff. The only things he could voluntarily move were his lungs.

He heard noises around him. A shuffling of feet. Voices mumbling in an unknown language. The most prominent noise was the faint humming that was emanating from the ground below him.

_What is going on? Where are Roku and Maruck? If only I could see. _

The humming noise below him continued to pulse in a strange manner. Not completely unfamiliar to Chase.

_Am I stuck in some kind of force field? What is this?_

Chase desperately tried to move his mouth, but failed. Not a sound emanated from his sealed lips. There was nothing he could do. Whatever was happening, or wherever he was, Chase was completely helpless.

_I'm stuck here. What am I supposed to do now?_

**Realize the truth of course.**

A booming voice had reverberated in Chase's mind. He was instantly filled with dread. Some form of consciousness had managed to invade his thoughts.

_Who… what are you?_

**The one who shall set you free.**

_Ok… any more…?_

**I am the one who waited in shadows for countless millennia.**

_Trust me when I say that I haven't been a space explorer for very long at all. Your references mean nothing to me._

**Oh, but my words should mean everything to anyone who inhabits this universe.**

_Look, could you stop with the Omnipotent-Talk and just tell me where I am._

**Foolish human. Don't you see? Your planet is different from the rest. A world that is fully capable of receiving the Hypercube.**

_The what?_

**Didn't you're little Tharian friend tell you?**

_About the Hypercube? Yeah, but not much. Just that it creates that deadly toxic gas._

**True indeed. But I would suggest questioning your friend a little closer. Did he not tell you about his current situation?**

_What are you talking about?_

**The death of his comrade, the fall of his empire. His world consumed by the dark flame of the Grox.**

_What?_

**There is more to this world than you can comprehend. There is more to this story than anyone can know. Trust me however when I say that I have the answers.**

_And I'm supposed to trust you?_

**You have a choice. You can join with me and fight on the side that will inevitably win. With your help our stratagem can quickly advance. If you choose to rebel, well… I'm sure you're current situation could explain the rest.**

The voice was right. Wherever he was, he was at the mercy of this strange consciousness. Chase thought for a long moment. He was thinking, hoping, praying for a way out.

Then he remembered. It was something that Roku had once said to him when they first met._ "If you don't help me, your world will die, and your accomplishment will definitely end in vein."_ That was it. Whoever was talking to him wanted to perform some horrible act against, well… as he put it, anyone against "the side that will inevitably win." If he helped this voice, then he was as good as dead too.

_I refuse your offer._

**I expected more from you. A human of your caliber should have been able to see the truth. What happens to you now is of your own doing.**

_But first… tell me. Who are you that possesses such knowledge and such great power?_

**I am the Grand Master.**

Chase's world was instantly filled with color. The blindfold had disintegrated. Whatever field was holding him up also disappeared. He fell to the floor, struggling to get to his feet.

He could now see the real situation, and it almost made him want to retreat to the safety of his blindfold again. Below him was a circular glowing panel. It was clear that it was a shield generator, as a steady field of translucent orange energy was rising from its sides. Chase knew almost instinctively that it was the same device that had previously restrained him.

But it was what he saw around him that really scared him.

A huge circular room with no ceiling and walls made of the same dark metal alloy that had been in the Grox base on Kepla-2. This instantly lead Chase to realize that this was indeed where he was. The sky definitely had the same… nonexistence that Kepla-2's had.

There was not a Grox or Dronox in sight, something that surprised Chase.

_Where is everybody?_

Lining the walls of the room were large pillars, each one glowing with a strange green, almost bubbling energy. Chase knew what it was. He had seen it before.

Alminar Gas.

It was in some primitive form, but that was definitely its identity. It bubbled and frothed in a liquid form within the pillars.

Then, in the dead center of the circular room was an even larger pillar. Cables connected the master pillar to the seven that lined the wall. The system of pillars formed one big machine. Its purpose was yet unknown to Chase, but he knew that it could be nothing good. The pulsating alminar gas was traveling from the pillars on the wall to the edge of the master pillar, and then disappearing in its depths.

At the base of the master pillar was an open compartment. Chase attempted to look inside, but was almost immediately blinded by whatever was present. Something was shining bright and blue in the depths of this evil machine. The energy from whatever was present was traveling in a steady flow from the base of the pillar to the top. What Chase saw there horrified him. A huge visible wormhole, exactly like the one back on Earth. It was archon energy based, with a dark color, and a center where all light and mass ceased to exist.

Then Chase remembered what Roku had said about why they were here.

"_The gas itself had to have been manufactured somewhere, and transferred through an initial wormhole to reach its destination."_

This was where the toxic gas was created. The wormhole above the main pillar was once linked to the one that had resided with the Grox Mothership above Earth.

That could only mean one thing. The strange thing glowing at the base of the master pillar had an identity all its own.

It was the same strange thing that had advanced the Tharians.

The same strange thing that the disembodied voice had told him about.

The same thing that was fueling this machines constant creation of alminar gas. It was…

"The Hypercube!" Roku exclaimed.

Chase spun around. A few yards away from him was Roku. He looked a few yards past that and found Maruck. Both of his comrades were trapped within their own containment shield, and both of them were staring around the room in awe, the same way Chase had. They both look disheveled, as if they had just exited some form of trance.

_Is it possible that they experienced the same consciousness that I did?_

"Roku! Maruck! What…. How?" Chase shouted towards his comrades, "How did we get here?"

"They shot us with an anesthetic, brought us too these containment cells, and then attempted to brainwash us." Roku explained.

"And that glowing thing…. Its…" Chase began.

"The object which advanced my race, yes." Roku finished.

**If you would be so kind to stop bickering, I could actually explain the consequences for your decisions.**

"Did you hear that!" Chase yelled, "Its back… that strange voice."

"Yeah, it was inside all of our heads. Don't listen too it." Roku said.

**Do you actually think that your foolish attempts to dismiss my power will actually stall the inevitable?**

"I'm hearing it too," Maruck said.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? And… why have you spared our lives?" Roku questioned.

**I have merely allowed you to see the truth. You will play witness to the god that will come before your final end. You may notice that this room has no security. No Grox. No Dronox. Nobody except for the three of you.**

"Yeah… that was strange," Chase said.

**The Grox are too inferior to stare upon my true form. I command them to do my very will, but they never to stare upon my holy power. You of course… well… you're going to die soon, so I believe you could witness the undeniable truth before your destruction.**

"Holy power? You've got to be kidding me," Roku exclaimed, "I've had enough of this nonsense. Tell us who you are!"

**But I've already told you. I am the Grand Master. The ruler of the Grox. The destroyer of all unworthy. The God That Will Come.**

"If you are so powerful, then why are you hiding?" Chase said.

**But I have been here the whole time. **

Directly in front of the glowing light at the base of the master pillar, the air began to ripple. It was a strange sight, almost as if space was bending and warping, slowing stretching and compacting into an unexplainable form. The light from the pillar twisted around the form, making it seem like water, only hovering and completely clear.

Then a creature materialized. It was an alien unlike anything Chase had ever seen before. Its skin was as black as space itself, and its eyes were a piercing red. Its form was vaguely humanoid, if it weren't for the arms that seemed out of proportion with the legs. They were at least twice as long. At the end of its appendages were claws similar to that of a bear's, but with a much longer, scarier feel to them. Its back was arched forward, with a strangely shaped head on top. Most of the bottom of the face was its mouth, with large horrifying teeth inside, two of which stuck out like a saber-tooth tiger's. The eyes were round, with an evil glow emanating from their presence. In fact, it seemed as if the entire form of the creature was emanating some form of dark energy.

The creature was wearing mechanical clothing. There were large metal plates that covered parts of its arms, chest, and legs.

"Are you…" Roku began.

"I am the Grand Master," he finished.


	8. An Evil Plot

_And here is the next part. The epic finale to the three part adventure on Kepla-2. If you can't tell, this is when the story is really beginning to take off. Anyway... enough of my commentary, let the story begin!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**8:** AN EVIL PLOT

"But you're… no… you're not a Grox. You're an Amahani!" Roku exclaimed, "Albeit one with a slightly darkened skin tone."

"Amhani was my past, this is my future," the Grand Master responded.

"What happened to you? Why are you commanding the Grox?" Roku asked.

"Oh, but I am doing more than commanding them. I am their glorious overmind! Their GOD! They will do whatever I command. We will triumph over all of creation," the Grand Master said.

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Chase said.

The Grand Master slowly twisted his head in Chase's direction, causing all the hairs on the back of Chase's neck to stick up.

"With you're people of course," the Grand Master said calmly.

"Huh?..." Chase said.

"You may have noticed the incredibly deadly power of the Alminar Gas," the Grand Master explained, "the raw energy of the hypercube, deadly to all who breathe it in. Well… a funny little thing happens when it comes in contact with Earth air."

"What is this nonsense?" Maruck shouted, "Just tell us what your plan is!"

"Impatient little mortal. My forces would have been bolstered ten-fold. I could have conquered the entire universe, if it weren't for you're little stunt. I knew those Grox would fail me again," the Grand Master continued.

"Are you just going to continue speaking nonsense, or are you actually going to tell us what happens when alminar gas reacts with Earth air?" Roku said.

The Grand Master began to laugh a long cold dark laugh that made Chase, Roku, and Maruck cringe within their energy cells.

"You foolish creatures. Don't you see? It's happening. The Grox are going to take the galaxy. The entire universe shall become their domain," the Grand Master said, "The once great empire will regain its glory, and all creatures of creation shall cower at my power."

"How exactly are you supposed to accomplish this if you won't even let the Grox _look_ at you?" Maruck shouted.

"It does not matter. For when my stratagem is complete, I will not need the humans or the Grox," the Grand Master exclaimed.

"This is ridiculous," Roku said.

"You say that now... but I shall prove my power to you by destroying your most prized possession!" the Grand Master retaliated.

"What do you mean?" Roku shouted back.

"Its time you see my true power. You shall remember me as the one who destroyed the only thing that the pathetic inhabitants of this galaxy had as a weapon against the Grox. You shall bear witness to its destruction," the Grand Master explained.

A cylindrical piece of the floor a few feet in front of the Grand Master rose up to reveal that something was locked inside of it. Within the cylindrical container was a swirling liquid, spinning and bubbling around something in its center. Roku stared at it in disbelief. A long white rod, with two curves at the top, and the glowing symbol of the galaxy embroidered at the top.

The Staff of Life.

"No," Roku said, "But how could you…"

"I posses the power of the hypercube. Raw, infinite 4th dimension energy contained within a 3 dimensional form," the Grand Master said.

"What… what are you talking about? The hypercube contained an excess amount of energy, and it acted as a super-monolith, but what is this 4th dimensional nonsense that you speak of?" Roku asked.

"The very 'nonsense' that shall condemn the inhabitants of this universe!" the Grand Master exclaimed.

Energy from the hypercube's chamber was funneled directly from the master pillar, through a pipe, and straight into the staff's containment cylinder. The glowing blue energy coursed around inside the liquid, making the entire cylinder glow a bright yellow.

"What are you doing!" Roku shouted.

"The hypercube's energy has the ability to amplify that anti-life properties of our archon fuel" the Grand Master explained.

"You mean…" Roku said, in horrible realization.

"Yes. There is no way in this universe that your staff could withstand that much energy of raw anti-life," the Grand Master said, with a look of triumph on his face.

The sound of an explosion emanated from the staff's container. A charge had been released, but to Roku's horror it was immediately absorbed by the archon liquid. This happened again, with the exact same result.

Again, and again.

A brilliant set of colors would ignite inside the cylinder, and then be absorbed within its depths. It was the most beautiful and horrifying thing that Roku, Chase, or Maruck had ever seen.

This went on for at least a minute, and it wasn't until the staff was drained of every last one of its charges that the sound died down. A silence followed. The empty shell of the staff remained inside of its container, drained of all of its power.

Dead.

Useless.

"This is my power. You should now see the inevitable," the Grand Master said.

"No…" Roku responded, "It is not your power. Wherever you got that hypercube from, you were not AT ALL responsible for its power!"

_Wrong thing to say. _

"I may not be responsible for its power, but I AM the one who has possession of it!" the Grand Master retaliated.

"Who are you to think that you can just waltz into our world, take control of the Grox, steal the hypercube, and declare yourself a God?" Roku screamed, furious at this point, "I've seen many things in my travels as a space captain, but the one thing that dosen't make sense about this entire thing is you! You're an AMAHANI! Not a Grox! The Amahani were a peaceful civilization. They followed the scrolls of harmony, they tried their best to stay out of wars, and they never engaged the grox! Tell me, HOW ARE YOU AN AMAHANI?!"

"Inquisitive little mortal. All will be revealed when the time comes," the Grand Master responded, calmly, "Well… actually… I don't think that you will ever have that glory. You see… I can't have you three wandering around the galaxy letting others know of my presence. Just to spare me the potential problems, I think I'll just eliminate you here and now."

"NO! I've had enough of this! TELL US WHO YOU ARE!" Roku shouted.

The Grand Master simply laughed.

"But you fools walked straight into my trap," the Grand Master explained, "Don't you see? _This planet was a trap. A set-up._ As you already know, Kepla-2 is the planet that the Grox are using to produce the Alminar Gas. The machine present within this room extracts particles from the hypercube, allowing them to cascade into their gaseous form. Then the Grox send them up through the artifical wormhole above, for it to emerge above earth."

"We already figured this out," Maruck said.

"But you missed the biggest point. Tell me, why would we leave the wormhole on? If you had already destroyed the receiving end of the wormhole, then why would we need to leave the machine at operating capacity?"

"To draw us here…" Roku said, in dark realization.

"Yes indeed. _It was a trap._ And now you're here. Stuck on the opposite side of the planet that your ship is on. No way of escape. Trapped inside energy cells, and in the presence of the most powerful being that ever lived," the Grand Master said, "All the Grox have evacuated this planet. Now it's just the four of us, and soon to be three."

"What are you going to do?" Chase asked.

"After I and the hypercube exit, the Alminar machine will go into meltdown. An abundance of the alminar gas will be released, filling this entire room and a good portion of the factory with its deadly power. Then, just for good measure, the wormhole will begin collapse."

"But it would become unstable and transform into a black hole... taking the planet with it!" Roku said.

"And don't you even think for a _second_ that I would disable your energy cells," the Grand Master responded, "Let's see… Do these three space captains have what it takes to bring down the Grand Master?... _I think not._ Time for your journey to end. Time for you to die for your blasphemy against the God That Will Come!"

The field of mysterious glowing air surrounded the Grand Master once more.

"WAIT!" exclaimed Roku.

The Grand Master ignored him. His form became vauge once again, and in seconds he had vanished into thin air.

Another silence followed.

"He was right. He teleported the hypercube out with him," Roku said.

"This is bad," Chase said.

The ground began to shake, and above the wormhole twisted and swerved, almost as if it was in agony. The pillars lining the wall began to crack, spewing out their green liquid onto the floor.

"No! We have to get out of here now!" Maruck exclaimed.

Seconds after the liquid hit the floor, it evaporated, forming into the vile, deadly, toxic, alminar gas.

There was nothing they could do. They were trapped, hopeless. The alminar gas quickly filled the chamber, condensing to form a thick green fog.

"Roku!" Chase tried to call out, only to have his lungs filled with the gas. It was like the inside of his body was lit on fire. Every part of his very being was screaming out in pain. Chase stumbled about in his energy cell, hitting the walls, hoping that somehow, in someway, it would save him.

_What could I possibly do to save us?_

Then it occurred to him. It was so simple that Chase could not believe hadn't occurred to him before. Something that he had possession of all along. The one thing that the humans had obtained that stood a chance against Grox technology.

Chase immediately pulled out the Energy Key that he had stolen from the white house, and jammed it directly into the panel below him. The key lit up, obtaining the shields energy signature.

It worked.

The shield disappeared. Glorious relief overcame Chase as he attempted to shout out in joy. He quickly fell to the floor, another lung full of alminar gas poisoning his very being.

It didn't matter. Even though he had freed himself, the gas was still surrounding him. There was nothing left.

Chase saw Roku bound out of the Gas, grabbing Chase's limp form and hoisting him up into Maruck's arms. Chase looked around at Roku, barely any energy left in him, only to see him making a gesture telling Chase to not breathe.

The three of them ran down the hallway leading out of the chamber, Chase in Maruck's arms, and Roku running ahead as fast as he could. They swirved and turned, not fully experienced with their environment. The alminar gas was still in their presence, taking their vision down to a minimum, and preventing them from taking any real breaths.

It was almost a miracle when Roku stumbled upon the teleporter pad, the one that had brought them here. Roku immediately jumped onto the pad, disappearing in a stream of kronon energy. Maruck was quick to follow suit, jumping on as well.

After the bright light and confusing colors that Chase had become accustomed to, they materialized within the Grox base on the other side of the planet. All three of them took deep breaths in the clean air. Well… technically it was the artificial bubble of air generated by their personal shield that was now clean, but that mattered little. All that mattered was that they were out of that accursed factory.

"Good thinking Chase, I knew I brought you with me for a reason," Roku said, "But we need to hurry. That wormhole will meltdown any…"

**BOOM**

An incredibly loud sound resonated from the far, far distance. The ground immediately began to vibrate.

"The planet is becoming unstable! Hurry!" Roku exclaimed.

The team sprinted forward, Chase now running on his own. They approached the rubble in the hallway created during their previous battle. Maruck blasted it out of the way with his Pulse Cannon. They continued to sprint forward, turning at corners, spinning around pillars, and bounding through archways. They came to the entrance of the Grox base, not stalling a second and speeding outside.

They now saw the same vista they had seen upon their fist intrusion into the Grox base. A huge lake of lava, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Feet in front of them was a drop-off into its firey depths. Off to their side was a stone pathway, leading along the edge of the cliff.

"Quickly! We need to find the bridge!" Maruck shouted.

The three captains ran up the pathway, searching for the familiar black bridge… but it wasn't there.

"No, it was there when we arrived! It was the only way to get from here to the island where we landed the Tharak! What are we going to do now?" Maruck exclaimed.

Roku spun around, looking for another solution. None of their jet packs would have enough energy to take them across the lake. Roku looked off into the distance only to have the situation's pressure mount even more. Far of on the horizon, a wave of energy could be seen, quickly advancing on their position.

"What is that?" Chase asked.

"The wormhole is going into meltdown. It's taking the planet with it!" Roku said.

"What are we going to do?" Chase shouted.

"Why do you guys always ask me!? It's not like I can do anything about this situation!" Roku retaliated. It was clear that Roku was frustrated. The situation seemed hopeless.

"But wait… you can," Maruck said, "Roku you… _you have wings!_ You can fly back to the Tharak!"

"I would only be able to carry one of you," Roku explained.

"Not one of these decisions! How are we supposed to do this?" Maruck shouted.

"No wait… I'm being ridiculous," Roku exclaimed, "I've had enough of people dieing!"

Without a second though, Roku grabbed both Chase and Maruck, running to the edge of the cliff. Roku spread his wings, took a deep breath, and jumped of the edge. He fell for a few seconds, before opening his wings all the way.

The strain of the two bodies was making it incredibly hard for Roku to remain airborne. Roku pushed on, knowing the only alternative was to plummet into the lava below.

_Come on, _Roku thought, _This is our last Chance!_

Roku flapped his wings in large motions, every time a feeling of agony coursed through his body. At first he dismissed it for the extra weight, but then it began to feel all too familiar…

"Roku!" Maruck shouted, "_The alminar gas is still in our system! We need to get down…_

**FLASH**

Roku was still flying, but was now holding his companions by the wrists.

**FLASH**

Roku crash landed onto the island.

**FLASH**

Roku wasn't sure what was happening, but for some reason, portions of his memory were disappearing, almost as if the gas was…

**FLASH**

The gas was definitely neurological. The three of them were now sprinting up the slope towards the Tharak.

**FLASH**

The energy on the horizon could now be viewed on all sides, they had seconds left.

**FLASH**

Roku was feet in front of the extraction beam.

**FLASH**

Roku materialized inside the Tharak, quickly jumping out of the way as Maruck appeared behind him. Roku quickly ran towards the driving console, spinning around to wait for Chase's appearance.

But it didn't come.

A horrible feeling overcame Roku. The same one that he had felt when Harko had not appeared.

_NO! This is not happening again!_

At the last moment, Chase materialized.

Roku jammed forward on the Tharak's engine lever. The twin dark energy engines ignited, blasting the spaceship up towards the sky.

Up, and up they flew, speeding higher and higher.

A huge explosion could be heard below. The entire planet was being consumed by the wormhole. Moments later a huge wave of archon energy followed, hitting the Tharak's shield at full force. They were blasted forward, spinning out of control through the vacuum of space.

When the Tharak began to slow down, Roku slid his hands off the controls.

_I did it, _He thought.

He fell to the metal floor of the Tharak, losing consciousness in one final…

**FLASH**

**

* * *

**_And there we go, the conclusion to their adventure on Kepla-2. Hope you enjoyed it!_

_If you didn't already know, most of the alien creatures that I'm using (save for the Scorpnak or Tharians) are creations made by maxis. The Poppero and Amahani are both creations specifically created by Maxis and should be in everyone's spore game. Just letting you know in case you wanted to get a better look at them :)_

_And don't forget to review! Just like EVERYONE ELSE on this site, my inspiration comes from your reviews. I don't expect THAT many, due to the fact that this is the Spore section of fanfic, with only 46 stories (as of now), but if your already here, then please review!  
_


	9. Side Effects

_Thank you wonderful readers of my story. I'm attempting to update much quicker now, and that will become much more practical when summer comes around. As for now, I'm stuck in testing season, but I'm going to continue writing this as much as I can. So don't lose faith! Trust me, if you review, I'll update. Anyway, on with the story!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**9:** SIDE EFFECTS

He was home.

It was Thar. The glorious homeworld of the Tharians. Towers that reached for the sky, and the beautiful heat of the star of Pyles radiating from above. Roku was leaning over the balcony of his residential tower. He was at peace.

This was where he belonged. The wonderful place that he had lived his life. He could see, off in the distance, the academy where he had trained to become a space captain. Young recruits were just learning how to execute basic combat.

Roku turned his head to look straight ahead. Towering above every other building in the capital city was the Main Control Tower, or the MCT as most officials referred to it. It was absolutely beautiful. There was no fog today, so the very top was visible. Resting on top of the tower was a shining blue light. It was the light that shone in the hearts of every Tharian in the empire.

It was the light from the Hypercube.

The object that had given them all of their power. It sat on a podium atop the MCT, radiating its powerful energy through the skies of Thar.

Roku spread his wings and jumped off the edge of the balcony. It was wonderful. He free-fell for a few seconds before fully unfurling his wings and coming to a halt. He glided through the towers of Thar. Swaying left and right, he spotted the memorial park below. He smiled, changing his position so that he could come to a landing. He glided to a stop upon the soft grass, and looked around. The memorial park was a small clearing in the middle of the urban city. Small ponds were staggered around the area, along with the occasional hover-bench. The grass swayed in the wind, the fish within the pond swam in smooth circles.

In the center of the park was a statue. It was of Roku's ancestor, Captain Marks. He stood tall, with an expression of determination and courage on his face. Roku walked up beneath the statue. He could barely see the resemblance between them. Marks was an old Tharian, and as such he had eyestalks, the wings of a bat, and webbed hands and clawed feet. Roku on the other hand had the wings of an eagle, with feathers down his arms and legs, and talons for feet. That was what the hypercube had done to the residents of Thar.

"Enjoying yourself?" said a voice behind Roku.

Roku spun around to look for where the voice had come from. He immediately jumped in shock, pulling out his plasma pulser and pointing it at the intruder. He looked like a Grox. The creature had the same ears and facial structure, but it stood much taller... almost 6 feet. It had no cybernetic implants, and its skin was a shade of brown, not red. It was somehow... a Grox that had not devolved.

"Who are you?" Roku asked.

"It matters not. I have waited for a countless amount of time. I can only use this ability a few times so listen closely," said the Grox-like creature.

"What are you talking about?" Roku said.

"You need to see. This is not real, you're asleep Roku. Wake up. The alminar gas is changing you," responded the creature.

"How would you know this?" Roku asked.

"You need to wake up. The fate of the universe depends on it. I am calling across space and into your consciousness to deliver this message. Why would you at all think ithis wasn't important?" the creature said.

"But, my homeworld…"

"It isn't real Roku. It's gone. The Grox destroyed it. Now.. you need to WAKE UP!"

**FLASH**

Roku's eyes snapped open. He had woken up. The illusion of his homeworld was gone, and he was now lying on some sort of bed. A soft blanket had been placed over him, and his head was resting on a large pillow. He looked around at the room. The walls were white, and a few pictures were hanging in scattered locations. A desk and chair were across the room, and a rack with a bunch of medical gizmos stood next to that. Roku realized where he was. It was some type of hospital. He tried to move his arm, only to realize that an i.v . was strapped into it.

Roku tried to sit up, but instantly felt a twing of red-hot pain in his left wing. He fell back to the bed. He slid his bed covers down so that he could see the problem. He had a large white bandage strapped across the length of his left wing.

_Great. I must have broken that when I crashed into the island._

Roku realized something wasn't right. He felt strangely… exposed. He pulled up his covers only to have his suspicions confirmed. He wasn't wearing anything.

_Wow._

He sighed in disbelief. The doctor must have removed his captain uniform to do some sort of physical. He did however notice that he had large bruises down his chest and legs. He dropped the covers back on top of him.

_Something must have been seriously wrong with me, as doctors normally have the decency to not do that._

He looked at his arms to see that the feathers were incredibly ruffled. Roku meticulously began to straighten them.

_What exactly happened to me?_

When he was done, Roku resumed looking around the room. Some of the pictures on the wall depicted captains from powerful empires. He could see Captain Talor, Ixindra, Nathul, and a few others. Roku wasn't on the wall, but he knew there was probably one of him somewhere in this hospital.

It was then that the door opened, and a small creature flew in. Roku immediately recognized the creature as a Tyro. They were small fairy-like creatures, with the wings of a butterfly, and a small stout tail. They also had short legs with cute little feet. Their skin was blue, and their face, hands, and feet were a shade of tan. The head itself was small and flat with two large round green eyes. They had a small overbite, with two little teeth that stuck out from under the lip. It gave them a very cute, adorable appearance. Add that to the fact that they're only 3 feet tall… and any sane creature would immediately go "Ahhhh…. How cute!"

This particular Tyro was hovering a foot or so above the ground, and was wearing a white uniform. Roku could only assume that he was a doctor. It flew over and landed on the desk.

"Ah… you're awake!" said the Tyro.

"Yeah… what exactly happened?" Roku asked, sitting up, but keeping the bedcovers close to him.

"Well… let me start off by first introducing myself," said the Tyro, "My name is Revend, and you're currently in the best hospital of the entire Tyro empire. You're on the planet Tidus, actually, the homeworld of my kind."

"How exactly did I get here? Last thing I remember, I just escaped from Kepla-2…" Roku said.

"Yes… one of our cruisers found your Tharak drifting through space in one of our systems. When we found out that Captain Roku was onboard, and in grave condition, we immediately sent you off here, where we tried the hardest to keep you alive," explained Revend.

"Well… you obviously succeeded," Roku said, with a slight smile.

"Yes indeed," Revend said, "Actually we were hoping that you could explain something for us. We recently lost all contact with the New Tharian Empire. Do you know what has occurred?"

"There gone."

"What?"

"There gone," Roku explained, "The Grox destroyed the entire empire."

"Oh… well… I do indeed have some good news," Revend said.

"What could that be?" Roku asked.

Revend walked over to the other end of the desk, pulling a lever on the wall. A plate on the rooms ceiling slid backwards and to the side. A hologram projector slid down and took its place.

"Let me show you," Revend said.

The hologram projector lit up, and a projection of an animal cell appeared. It hovered above Roku's bed, translucent and fully 3D. It took up a large portion of the room, spinning slowly in mid-air.

"This is one of your cells," Revend explained, "You were infected by some sort of toxic poision. It was a neurological poision that targets the brains sensory organs, causing the entire body to feel extreme pain. From what we calculate, it goes on to break its way through the brain cells, eventually causing portions of your memory to disappear."

"That's exactly what happened to me…" Roku said.

"Yes, of course… it eventually shuts down all primary brain functions… and you die," Revend finished.

"How is this good news?" Roku asked.

"We did a test on a particle of the gas that was in your system. It has a specific structure that remains unchanged when exposed to all known atomic configurations," Revend said.

"Then why does that…" Roku began.

"_Except for one_," Revend finished, "A basic oxygen particle with a kronon level of 67 _exactly_ would have changed the structure of the gas."

"It's called alminar gas, actually," Roku said, "and… where would you find that kind of particle?"

"Well, we found some in your respiratory system," Revend said. A small area in the projected cell was highlighted. "We checked the database for the presence of this particle on any of the alliances known space-faring planets and came up with nothing."

Roku thought for a moment. The Grand Master had said something to them. Somehting related to this…

"_Well… a funny little thing happens when it comes in contact with Earth air."_

"Check Earth," Roku said.

"Huh?" Revend said, confused.

"Earth?… Sol III?... 77ΔAE-5?..." Roku stated.

"Ah yes… Let's see," Revend responded. The Tyro jumped off the desk, his wings keeping him afloat. He flew over to a computer on the other side of the room. He touched down lightly on the desks surface, almost like a feather.

Revend touched to the computers screen. It lit up with the Tyro empire logo, bringing him to a login screen. A few seconds of typing later, he was in.

"Let's see… records of oxygen molecule on 77ΔAE-5…" Revend said, working with the computer, "Oh…"

"Let me guess… kronon level of 67?" Roku said, with a smirk, "Funny how that works."

"Indeed. How did you know?" Revend asked.

"Kind of a long story…." Roku explained, "Why is it so important?"

"Well for one, the change in the structure of the 'alminar' gas made it non-leatheal." Revend said.

"That's good."

"And for another," he continued, "It created a neruel-energy loop."

"Are you just making up words?" Roku said.

Revend flew back over to the original desk, with a smile on his face. "Well… yeah. We had to call it something didn't we? Basically, it forced your entire body to lash out in search of an energy source."

"Huh?"

"That Sol III oxygen that was in your respiratory system gave you something amaizing, Roku," Revend said. He pushed the hologram lever back up, causing the projector to retreat back into the cealing. Then, he reached over and pulled out one of the objects that had been in the rack of medical gizmos. Roku immediately realized what was in Revend's small hands.

_How could I have not noticed that before?_

"This is, I believe, your Hypnomelder," Revend stated. The device was black and charred. Cracks riddled the surface of the once glowing device. The green crystal that once sat atop of the center was now gray and dull, almost as if all of the energy had been drained out of it.

"What did this?" Roku asked.

"You did," Revend continued to explain, "Your body absorbed the energy of the hypnomelder." Roku stared at the weapon in disbelief.

"What does this mean?" Roku said.

"Well… pick up that cup over there," Revend commanded, gesturing toward a coffee cup that was sitting near the computer that Revend had used.

"What?"

"Pick it up," Revend said again.

"Um… you do realize that I'm not wearing anything… right?" Roku asked.

"No. I meant pick it up from where you are. With your mind," Revend explained.

Roku looked over at the coffee cup. He willed it to move. He tried as hard as he could to move the piece of matter without physically touching it.

_This is ridiculous… why on Thar would it…._

The coffee cup lifted strait off the surface of the table, hovering at least a foot in the air. Roku stared at the hovering coffee cup in utter amazement. _He_ had done that.

"Well done. A field of psychic energy generated by the hypnomelder energy within your body. Impressive," Revend remarked.

"What… but I…." Roku tried to say, still in awe.

"Yes… it must be an interesting revelation," Revend stated.

Roku didn't say anything. He just began to move the cup around in slow rotations, and then in circles. He couldn't believe what was happening.

"So let me get this straight. I have telekinesis?" Roku asked.

"In a manner of speaking… yes. However, due note that I have no idea what the side effects are," Revend said.

"That's where the adventure comes in," Roku said, now moving the cup in circles around Revend.

"Very amusing," Revend said, sarcastically, "I do have more stuff to tell you, you know."

"Like what," Roku responded, setting the coffee cup down on the desk next to Revend. He picked it up and took a sip.

"Thanks," Revend said, "Anyway… as I was saying. You may be wondering why we didn't heal your left wing."

"It crossed my mind."

"We'll… we weren't quite sure what would happen if we added any more chemicals to your body with the alminar gas already present, so all we risked was an anesthetic," Revend explained, "When the toxin dispersed, we injected a low-power bone rejuvenator into your arm. Hence the i.v. You should be healed in a day or two."

"Excellent. And… last question. Where are Chase and Maruck?" Roku asked.

"Your human friend is waiting in the lobby. He woke up a few hours ago," Revend said.

"And Maruck?"

"He's still in his hospital room. But… I believe you're healthy enough to go speak with Chase. Do you feel up to it?" Revend said.

"Of course. What about the i.v.?"

"It's already done enough. You should be able to get up without feeling extreme pain in your wing," Revend said.

"Excellent," Roku said, sitting up farther, still keeping the covers close to him. Revend smiled and took another sip from his coffee.

"Agh, that's right," Revend commented, just before he took off from the desk, "You're clothes are in the closet to the right. I'll be going back to the office, but Chase is waiting in the lobby."

Roku smiled as Revend flapped his butterfly wings, fluttering almost gracefully out the door, pulling it closed behind him.

Roku sighed and pushed himself out of the bed completely. He stood up, attempting to stretch, but having a wonderful burning twinge greet him again.

_Good Spode, that better heal quickly._

Roku slid over to the closet and pulled out his uniform. The red and black design was faded, and there were stitches across several areas. He held it in his hands, looking at the logo of the New Tharian Empire that was embroidered on side of the left sleeve. Memories were flooding Roku's mind, but he knew that the place of his past was gone.

He put on the uniform, carefully sliding the back portion over his damaged wing. When he was done he trotted over to the door. He was about to open it with his hand, but then it occurred to him. He smiled and stood back, holding out his arm. The door slid open with the power of his mind.

_Nice, _Roku thought.

* * *

Chase was laying down on a couch, staring at the ceiling of the hospital lobby. It was a large dome, with multiple stories and stairwells visible on all sides. Tyro were fluttering around in all shapes and sizes. The walls of the dome were white, but the archways that supported the entire structure appeared to be a grayish-blue. The architecture of the building was amazing. Never in Chase's life had he seen anything so complex.

The couch Chase was lying on was on the bottom story of the hospital lobby. Around him were desks, chairs, and offices. When Chase sat up, he could see aliens of forms that Chase had never imagined, walking, crawling, slithering, flying, or even hovering, towards separate desks. At each one of the desks sat a Tyro, a secretary by all the standards that Chase knew. The tyro at the desks would work with their computer and then direct the visitors in the direction of their patients. It was truly a huge hospital, as elevators and hallways were visible around the entire perimeter of the lobby room. The couch Chase was on was one of at least five organized in a circle around the rooms center.

Chase lay back down, looking up at the dome ceiling. There were five large portraits of famous captains depicted in pentagon formation around the dome's top. Chase did not recognize four of them, and could only read the names. _Barbados, Talor, Amazing, and Dimitri. _Then, the last one was striking obvious. _Roku._ Chase looked up at the portrait of the alien that had rescued him from a life-long sentence in jail.

"I think this is like the 3rd time, but… Enjoying yourself?" Roku interrupted.

"Agh!" Chase exclaimed, abruptly sitting upright. Roku had walked up from behind, surprising Chase with his cliché comment.

"So… how was your coma?" Roku asked, resting his arms on the couches top.

"Fine, fine," Chase responded, changing his position to face Roku, "Wait…. did you? I mean, I kinda…."

"Agh, yeah, hypnomelder actually," Roku said, looking over at the secretary tyro a few yards behind Chase. A sweet in a small basket lifted up. It hovered in the air, suddenly flying across the lobby towards Chase and Roku. He caught it in his right hand, quickly popping it into his mouth.

"That is awesome," Chase commented, looking quickly between the bowl of sweets and Roku.

"It has its uses," Roku responded, chewing on the candy, "What happened to you?"

"Oh… well…" Chase said, with a large, obvious smirk on his face.

"What?" Roku asked, "What object could you have possibly absorbed?"

"He…. He… Um… How do I put this?..." Chase stuttered, "Jump Jet."

"What? Jump Jet? But… How? And…. What does that do?" Roku exclaimed, dumfounded.

Chase sighed and slid of the couch. Standing up, he held out his hand. He positioned his hand in such a way that it appeared he was grasping an invisible object.

"You will _not_ believe this," Chase stated. Beyond Roku's belief, and flame spontaneously combusted inches above Chase's palm. It floated there, flickering in the air. An ominous, strange, unimaginable flame, hovering inches above Chase's bare skin. It gave off a dull light, a glorious heat, and a feeling of power.

"The energy of the ignition crystal within the Jump Jet…" Roku stammered, still staring almost unblinkingly at the amazing occurrence, "You just created fire out of the atoms in the air. Now _that_ has its uses!"

"Yeah… It sorta makes me like the Human Torch," Chase commented.

"The who?" Roku asked.

"Fantastic four?..."

"Huh?"

"Oh.. yeah. You wouldn't know would you," Chase realized. Chase closed his hand and dropped his arm, causing the flame to disappear almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"This is _definitely_ not what the Grand Master had in mind," Roku said.

"Tell me about it…" Chase replied, "Hey… what happened to Maruck?"

"Um…" Roku responded, "The doctor said he was still in his hospital room…."

"Oh…."

"Oh no… why didn't we realize?" Roku exclaimed, "He was never on Earth!"

"That means that the alminar gas…." Chase began to say. It was in that moment that the lights flickered off. Instantaneously, everyone in the lobby was thrown into complete darkness.

There was complete silence.

It was quiet, perfectly quiet. What had happened was completely unexpected. ALL of the power had failed.

In the far distance, they could hear a distorted rumbling. The sound of the generator making long low-pitched noises. But the rumbles were distorted, drawn out, and strangely scratchy.

"What…" Chase whispered.

The lights came back on. The brightness of the lobby floodlights practically blinded Chase and Roku. The different aliens and Tyro in the room were spinning around, dumbstruck, looking for the cause of the failure.

Then, before their eyes even had time to adjust to the lights being on, they switched off again. Another darkness followed. This one seemed longer, but, undeniable, the lights back on. All of the creatures in the lobby couldn't believe what was happening. Something was causing all of the power to surge on and off.

"What is going on?" Chase exclaimed at Roku

"Only something of incredible electric power could mess up a Tyro class-4 generator," Roku said. The lights switched off again, plunging the inhabitants of the lobby into another period of pitch black.

"I've got an idea," Chase said. Chase held out his hand, another flame igniting above his palm. The illumination it gave off allowed vision within about a ten foot radius.

Roku smiled. "Great thinking. But I also have an idea. " Roku took off, with Chase following close behind. The flame in Chase's hand allowed them to see the path they were taking. They dodged past groups of stunned aliens, hovering Tyro, and even a few Spoffits. They reached the entrance to a long hallway.

"What are you doing?" Chase asked, coming to a stop behind Roku, panting slightly. He was still holding the flame in front of him, giving sight to the hallway entrance. The lights came back on, providing almost unwanted vision. Chase and Roku's eyes were forced to readjust to the new environment.

"Maruck had a Plasma Pulser!" Roku exclaimed, taking off again. Chase kept close behind Roku, and when the lights went out again, they had a way to see. They were running down the hallway, Chase dearly hoping that Roku knew where he was going.

"Would you just tell me where you're going!" Chase shouted.

"They Tyro are one of the most organized races in the galaxy. That would mean…. Maruck would be under 'S' for Scorpnak…" Roku was explaining. They came to a stop in front of a hospital room door. The label on the front was barely visible in the darkness.

"So you think you're gonna find him?" Chase said.

"I think we just did." Roku responded.

The power surged back into existence, and the name on the front of the door became clearly visible.

_Captain Maruck Czech IV, admiral of the __**S**__corpnak Empire_

"This is it…" Roku said, "Stand back."

Roku swung the door inward, revealing an incredibly strange sight within. Maruck was still lying in his bed unconscious, but there was no denying… he was the cause of the blackouts. Large bolts of electricity were arcing from his body to the lights and electrical fixtures within his room. With every bolt that shot from his limp body, the power of the entire generator would switch positions.

"What… but he?" Chase stammered.

"Just what I thought… there was Earth air in the Tharak AC system. He absorbed the power of his plasma pulser. The electron core is surging through his body…" Roku said. The two of them ran forward into the room, knocking over piles of medical supplies that littered the floor. It was clear that his particular doctor had fled as soon as Maruck had begun to act up.

"Let me see if I can…" Roku began, but he was quickly silenced by a bolt of lightning-like energy arcing directly into the light fixture behind him. It missed his face by inches. "Get down!"

Both Chase and Roku dropped to the floor, slowly inching forward to the side of Maruck's bed. Multiple bolts of electrical energy continued to surge into the objects around the room.

"This better work…" Roku said. Roku rose up slowly, so that his face was level with Maruck's. He stretched out his arm, placing it on Maruck's forehead. He thought, and willed the hypnomelder energy within him to do what it was famous for. It had to work. Glowing green energy engulfed Roku's arm. It traveled down and encircled Maruck's head, swirling in a mystical psychedelic manner.

_Stop, _Roku thought, _Wake Up!_

Maruck's eyes snapped open. He gasped as he filled his lungs with the clean hospital air. At the moment he had awoken, the electrical surges stopped. The lights slowly came back on, and the tension all around the hospital ceased.

"What… what happened?" Maruck asked.

"Oh…. It's a long story…" Roku said.

"Like I'm not already part of it?" Maruck responded.

"Basically… a few side effects." Roku said.

* * *

_Well, there we go. I've set the stage for possible plot points later on. Not to say anything though..._

_Also, I'm pleased to announce that I'm going to be doing a sort of contest. I need an original alien race to include in an upcoming chapter, so I've decided to turn to my readers for once. If you want YOUR creation included in The Tale of Tesseract, all you have to do is email me at njkilleen (at) gmail (dot) com with a brief description of your empire, and a link to the actual creation on the Sporepedia. I'll announce the winner in the next chapter, and the actual empire will appear in the one after that. And don't worry, I'll use your creation epically._

_Thank for reading, and don't forget to do the wonderful thing where you review!_


	10. The Database

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**10:** THE DATABASE

"_Some of our theoreticians suggest that the motivation for the Grox's actions may lie in the difference between machines and organic life, though there seems to be no way to test this hypothesis." (Books of Science)_

_

* * *

_

"Descend!" Chase exclaimed, with mock enthusiasm.

Chase touched down first, stepping out of the way so that Roku and Maruck could follow suit.

"Where are we?" Chase asked, all three of them looking around. They had "parked" the Tharak in what appeared to be a closed off room. The walls were a shade of dark blue, composed of a shiny metal, and just far enough apart to allow the Tharak to fit comfortably inside. There was no distinction between the composition of the walls, the floor, or the ceiling. Everything appeared to be all one unit. The Tharak was nestled perfectly inside of the room, its engines hovering feet from the walls, and only about 4 feet above Chase, Maruck, and Roku.

There was, however, one exit. A medium sized iris-door, with gray blades, and a dark blue outlining. Plastered next to it was a sign. It read: _Landing Registration_

Roku turned to Maruck and said, "7714-3B."

"Oh… that's where we are," Maruck said, with a small smirk.

"Would you guys _not_ do the thing where you make me feel like an idiot!" Chase exclaimed, "I just saved your buts back on Kepla-2!"

"Ok.. ok… were on a space station above the Archive planet," Roku said, trying to hold back a laugh, "but trust me… you're gonna want to see it for yourself."

Roku walked over to the sign near the iris door.

"Well then… what is this place?" Chase asked, gesturing towards the room they were currently in.

"Oh… yeah. It's sorta like a parking spot. Everyone that comes to this planet has to land in the space station and register. Simple security measures, seeing as this planet doesn't technically belong to anyone," Roku explained. He held his hand against the sign. It lit up, revealing a glowing translucent screen. It wasn't long before Chase realized that it wasn't any regular sign at all, but a fully operational hologram touch-screen. Roku was typing something in mid air.

"What are you doing?" Chase said.

"Logging us in," Roku said, typing quickly on the hologram keyboard, "Let's see… Maruck of the Scorpnak… Roku of the New Tharians… and… oh wait, how are we going to do this? I don't think Chase has a database pass…"

"Oh wait… let me," Maruck said. He ran forward, skidding to a halt in front of the holo-screen. He reached out and placed his hand directly on top of the hologram projector. A bolt of electricity shot through his arm and into the system.

The screen lit up with a message:

_ Captain Maruck has an invite-a-friend pass for one day into the database._

"Very nifty indeed," Roku said.

"So I can get through now?" Chase asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah… so long as you promise not become a terrorist," Maruck responded.

Chase laughed, and moments later the iris-door opened, sliding out of the way to allow the residents of the landing room to exit.

They walked into a hallway.

It was short in width but was incredibly long lengthwise. It was made of the same blue metal that was in the previous room, and was equally as bland architecturally. What was different was the incredible amount of identical iris-doors that lined the walls. Occasionally one would open to allow an alien creature to walk in or out.

"So this place is kinda like a parking garage… yeah? Except with spaceships" Chase said.

"Exactly," Roku said, then turning to Maruck, "Ok… you can lead the way."

"With pleasure," Maruck responded. He trotted forward down the left side of the hallway. Roku quickly sped off after him, and Chase knew instinctively not to get left behind. The three of them were walking briskly down the corridor, passing by at least a dozen iris-doors.

"Excuse me for sounding repetitive, but… where are we going?" Chase asked, trying to keep up with Maruck.

"Right here," Maruck said, coming to a stop. The three of them were standing around a yellow circle in the floor. It was radiating white energy, eerily similar to something that Chase had seen before.

"That's a teleport pad… isn't it?…" Chase said.

"It is…" Roku said, "So what do you suppose happens next?"

"Oh come on I'm not that stupid," Chase said.

"So… are suggesting that you are… at some level… 'stupid?'" Maruck commented.

"Oh shut up," Chase said.

Chase took a deep breath and stepped forward onto the teleport. Instantly, his world was filled with color. Bright shining lights, whirls of energy, an incredible spinning sensation, and then…

WHAM.

Chase materialized on the receiving teleport, stumbling out of the way. Chase quickly lost his balance and fell over, in a fashion that would have normally made him look drunk. He noted that this teleport was much more turbulent than his previous endeavors.

Roku appeared shortly after, and was predictably followed by Maruck. The two of them began laughing at the sight of Chase stumbling around, obviously dizzy from the teleport.

"Yeah… not every teleport operates in exactly the same way…" Roku said, almost as an afterthought, "That one took us through the planet's atmosphere."

"Could have warned me…" Chase said, finally managing to stay balanced.

"But… hey…. Um… look where we are!" Roku exclaimed.

The three captains examined their surroundings.

Chase gasped in awe.

They were inside of an enormous building, similar to a cathedral. The ceiling was at least two football fields' tall, with huge towering archways, and gigantic chandeliers. The teleport they had emerged from was located near a wall that appeared to serve as the back of the building. The walls and ceiling were a shade of blue similar to the landing room, but the similarity stopped there. The design of this place was incredibly intricate, with paintings and patterns etched into almost every surface. There was a huge portion of the ceiling that was made of glass, allowing Chase to see the sky above. It was green, with… oh… of course… TWO suns blazing above.

When he stared straight forward, he saw a single pathway leading directly through the center of the room. Branching off from it were_… Chase couldn't even count how many_… pathways leading to the sides of the cathedral building. At the end of each pathway was an elevator leading to other levels of the gigantic room.

"What is this place…" Chase asked.

"The Alliance Archives," Roku said.

Chase continued to look around. He felt minuscule in comparison to everything here. Lining all of the pathways were towering bookshelves. _Or at least they looked like bookshelves. _When Chase squinted he noticed that they were filled with thousands of glowing rectangular contraptions, each one producing a small hologram. The bookshelves continued on many levels, with bridges, and hovering platforms connecting them above. This place was a huge, intricate, and incredibly amazing, and… by everything that Chase knew… a _library. _Creatures and aliens from empires that Chase had never dreamed of were walking along the pathways, bridges, hover-platforms, and archways. They were walking around the towering bookshelves, sometimes pulling down the contraptions to examine them. Chase realized that these "contraptions" were indeed "books." Books that had been condensed into a hologram form.

"Alliance… ar… archive?" Chase stammered.

"Yes."

"It's like a library," Chase said.

"Sort of," Roku explained, "But its more of a database of all of the knowledge that the galactic alliance has accumulated. Everything of value in terms of history, technology, and even myths are stored within this database."

"That's why we had to go though the security check." Maruck said, "This planet doesn't belong to anyone. It's middle ground. A place where anyone can come for information."

"Exactly," Roku said, "And I bet you can take a guess as to why were here."

"We need to learn as much as we can about our current situation. We can't keep jumping into battles blind," Chase said.

"Very True."

"So what do we do?"

"Go over here," Roku commanded, taking a quick stride forward.

"Stop doing that!" Chase said.

They continued walking forward, down the long pathway, passing by huge bookshelves, and hovering platforms. What appeared to be an information booth came into view. It was a small circular desk, with a large "I" hologram being projected above it. An android was stationed at its center, and was presently conversing with a group of fish-like aliens. The android was humanoid, but its features were so simple that it couldn't be considered any particular creature. Roku stepped up from behind, clearing his throat loudly.

The android spun around, immediately spotting Roku.

"Oh my, are you that being for which my programming refers to as 'Captain Roku Azero.'"

"Yes… I just need a quick instruction," Roku said, trying to ignore the staring faces from the fish aliens on the other side of the information booth, "I need to know where I can find information on the Amahani Empire."

"Section BRQ, just down there," said the android, gesturing towards the pathway to their right.

"Thanks," said Roku, quickly beginning to walk off between the two bookshelves. He gestured for Maruck and Chase to follow him.

"Wait…" said one of the fish aliens, "Are you really Roku?"

"Kind of busy actually," Roku responded, almost automatically.

Chase held back a laugh as the three of them walked swiftly down the pathway. Thousands of hologram books were visible on the enormous bookshelves to their left and right. They continued their brisk pace until they came upon a large screen in an empty portion of the shelf to their right.

"And this is?..." Chase asked.

"An interface. All of the information from the data-books in this row can be viewed through here," Roku explained, pointing at the screen, "We can use this to figure out what we need to know."

Roku rapidly began pressing keys on a pad below the screen. Chase spun around on the spot, admiring the incredible size of the place they were in.

"I still can believe you guys take this stuff as normal…" Chase said, "I mean… this is just incredibly…" It was then that something caught his eye. As Roku continued to type away furiously on the interface screen, Chase looked closely at one of the data-books a few yards away. He couldn't believe it.

Chase promptly looked at the sign that labeled their current row.

The one that contained the interface that Roku was using was labeled: _Class-4 Empires (A through D). _

The row that contained the data-book that Chase was interested in was labeled: _Recorded Civilization Stage Planets (R through V). _

Then it was confirmed.

Chase briskly stepped towards the shelf. He reached up, having to stretch his arm to reach what he wanted. Chase finally grasped it, pulling the thin data-book off of its shelf. The moment it fell into his hands, the center of the device lit up, causing a hologram to appear millimeters above its surface.

There was no denying it now. The letters on the hologram clearly spelled out the words "Sol III."

"Guys," Chase said, "I think I found something."

"Not now. I'm kind of busy," Roku responded, attempting to search through the database.

"There it is," Maruck said, quickly pointing towards a link on the screen.

"Agh yes, thanks," Roku said, selecting it.

"Guys seriously I think this is important," Chase tried to say.

"Did you hear something?" Roku said, with an expression of one trying to hold back laughter.

"Nope."

"Seriously, this IS important," Chase continued.

"Here we are," Roku stated, as the screen lit up with text. At the top of the page was the label "**Amahani Empire.**"

"Now we can figure out more about Mr. Grand Master," Maruck said.

Chase sighed, walking up to join his comrades. He had given up on trying to interrupt them, but still had the data-book grasped in his hands.

Roku read the information out loud:

_The Amahani Empire is the forefront of Shaman empires. Widely considered to be one of the most peaceful races in the galaxy, they have become in tune with nature, and have made sure to ignore quarrels with all neighboring empires. They remained insignificant in this database until one of their own, Captain Dimitri, reached the center of the galaxy…_

"Wow," Maruck commented, "That sounds nothing like Grox dictator material."

"That's what I thought too, it just doesn't make sense…" Roku said.

"Is that all we came for?" Chase asked.

"Well I suppose if we stumble across anything else that we could look at that as well" Roku began.

"Like this," Chase said, holding out the data-book on Sol III.

"Where did you find that?" Maruck asked.

"We happen to be in the same row as Civ. Planets. It's what I was TRYING to tell you," Chase exclaimed.

"Give it here," Roku exclaimed, holding out his hands. Chase deposited the book into Roku's arms, a look of pride on his face, like he had done something worthy of praise.

Roku touched the main data-book screen, bringing him to the actual contents. An introduction was visible on the front page, along with a slowly rotating picture of Earth from space.

Roku read aloud the text:

_ The third planet form the yellow star "sol," Earth is a haven for its present inhabitants. 70% of the planet remains water, and the atmosphere is composed of 80% nitrogen. The planet began to form somewhere between galactic date 2500b7 and 2700b7. Studys show that for a good portion of the planet's existence it was stuck in a Kronon Lock. This was not discovered until recently when Captain Marks of the old Tharian empire broke the lock. He used his biorod on the planet, sparking life into its frozen ecosystem. It was then that animal evolution began on the planet, and the humans began to evolve. _

_ Information about the creation of the planet's kronon lock, and its origin, remain speculative, and as such are not included in this archive. Some of the speculation surrounds the mysterious "Jaxxod."_

"Marks? What… who's that?" Chase said.

"Yeah… he's my ancestor. But this _is_ some interesting information," Roku said.

"Wow… 2500b7! That's forever ago!" Maruck exclaimed.

"Ok… not to sound stupid… but… what's the deal with the whole galactic date thing?" Chase inquired.

"Yes I should explain," Roku said, setting the data-book aside, and turning to fully face Chase, "First you must understand that the galaxy rotates around fully once every 250 million of your earth years."

"Yeah…"

"The Galactic date is based off of that. The fist four numbers are a reference to the amount of time passed in that rotation. It's a type of "percentage" out of 10000 instead of 100. The letter after that represents the rotation that the galaxy is in. First is a, then b, then c, then d, then e, then f… and so on," Roku explained.

"But what's that last number?"

"Agh… that's the reference number," Roku continued to explain, "It shows how many times the dates have been _through_ the alphabet. After z comes a1, then b1, and so on."

"Wow… so what's the date now?" Chase said.

Roku and Maruck exchanged glances.

"9210k58…" Roku stated.

"What… but that's… that's," Chase stuttered, trying to do the math in his head.

"Over 300 billion years later, yes," Maruck finished for him.

"But all of our scientists said that earth was only 4 billion years old!" Chase exclaimed.

"Yeah… carbon dating can be easily thrown off by a kronon lock," Roku explained.

"Ok, what _is _a 'Kronon Lock?'" Chase asked.

Roku spun back around towards the interface monitor behind him. After a few seconds of swift typing another screen came up. The title at the top read "**Kronon Lock**."

Chase read the text out loud:

_A kronon lock is a highly advanced piece of technology used by only some of the strongest empires in the known galaxy. The technique takes advantage of the property of regular atoms to emit low-level kronon energy. A typical "kronon-lock device" would freeze that energy, thereby stopping the atoms from having any real interaction with eachother. In essence it is the opposite of a monolith. When used on a planet it stops it from evolving any further. The entire planet practically "pauses," until the creator of the lock sees fit to end it. _

"Do you see now?" Roku asked.

"So… there is a bit more to this than we thought…" Chase said.

"Indeed," Roku said, "But this still doesn't explain the 'Grand Master.'"

Chase sighed. He couldn't believe they had come all the way to the largest collection of information in the galaxy only to find nothing helpful. But hold on…

"Wait… what about that 'Jaxxod Empire' thing. The last text said that they could have caused the kronon lock."

"Hmm…" Roku said, turning his head back to the computer. A minute or two of navigating later he pulled up a page on the Jaxxod Empire. Unfortunately, it wasn't as in-depth as they had hoped. It simply said:

_Little is known about this empire. Information only remains speculative, and is thereby not included in this archive._

"Well that's not helpful!" Maruck exclaimed.

"Well… it is considered a _factual_ database," Roku said, "but I might be able to pull up something a little _less_ factual."

"Like what?"

Roku began pounding away on the keyboard once again. It was clear he was searching for something important.

"Let's see… I wonder if they even have it… they should… I mean it is quite prevalent in our galaxy…" Roku said, talking to himself as he navigated through multiple menu screens.

"What is?" Maruck and Chase said in unison.

"Here we are… the _Book of Spode_!" Roku exclaimed.

"What?"

"I remember hearing something about the Jaxxod from a particularly nasty Zealot race. Let's see if it's in here…" Roku explained. He pulled up a search window, typing in the phrase 'Jaxxod.' It came up with three results, and Roku eagerly selected the first one.

"Why would the book of Spode have any reference to the Jaxxod Empire?" Maruck questioned.

"You know just as much as I do," Roku responded. He pulled the text open to full screen, promptly beginning to read it:

_ The Jaxxod empire thrived billions of years ago at the heart of our galaxy. They were leaders in science and technology, and many regarded them as the ultimate power. The empire credited their achievements towards a powerful object that had fell on their planet in the year 3659b6. They investigated it and realized that it was unlike anything they had ever seen before. The empire's home world, Xorgo, was a thriving metropolis. They were the strongest empire for their time, and their lead captain Stekvan Gallindo vowed to make sure his empire was protected from all forces of evil. The empire disappeared from the galaxy after an unknown event._

"Wow… that's interesting. A little bit less reliable though," Maruck stated.

"Look at the date!" Chase exclaimed, "They became powerful just a galaxy rotation before earth was formed! They existed at the time of the creation of Earth's kronon lock… I bet you anything…"

"Wait," Roku said.

"Huh?"

"Not you… but something in that text. The empire became powerful because of an object that fell from the sky… an object unlike anything they had ever seen before…"

"You don't think…" Maruck said.

"The hypercube… yes. Whoever these Jaxxod are, they became powerful _because of the hypercube_. This object has existed for longer than ANY of us have thought. What is this mess we have gotten ourselves into?... And the name of that homeworld…"

"What was wrong with it?" Maruck asked.

But Roku wasn't listening. He was stepping back from the screen in utter realization.

"How could no one have noticed?" he exclaimed, "So many years of history in this galaxy, and not a single person noticed?"

"What is it?" Chase asked.

Roku was running his hands through his hair, appearing to be obviously frustrated.

"How?" he exclaimed, "I suppose… one would have to understand the hypercube, have been to the center of the galaxy, and have visited Sol III to put all of the pieces together…"

"What are you mumbling about?" Chase asked again.

"Look! Don't you see! The name of the Jaxxod homeworld! Remember? It was _Xorgo!_"

"Yeah…"

"It all fits together! How did no one notice!" Roku continued to exclaim.

"WHAT IS IT!" Maruck yelled back.

"Take the last letter off and read the rest backwards!"

Maruck and Chase thought for a moment, and it wasn't long until a look of horror appeared on their faces.

It all fit together.

It all fit together impossibly well.

The name now read _Grox._

"The Jaxxod didn't disappear," Roku explained, "They gained all of their power from the hypercube and became incredibly strong. They put earth in a kronon lock for reasons that are beyond me… but then they devolved. Somehow they lost the hypercube and it landed on Thar. But in the meantime, they became the cruelest race in the galaxy! That's what commander civet ment by 'reclaiming his property.' It's what the Grand Master meant by the 'once glorious empire.' The Jaxxod ARE the Grox!"

* * *

_And super-special-awesome plot twist enters the picture!_

_I also have a winner for the "enter your own creation" contest. I'm using "AtWarWithGrox's" creation, the "Chimera Empire." They will begin to appear in the next chapter, and his captain will debut not that many later. So look forward to that! If you still want to get your creation in "The Tale of Tesseract," you can still email me and I'll consider including it in a later chapter._

_Thanks for reading, and don't forget to click the wonderful button that is located just below this sentence!  
_


	11. Shards of Information

_And at last, the next chapter! And with it comes the introduction of AtWarWithGrox's creation, the Chimera Empire! Enjoy!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**11:** SHARDS OF INFORMATION

"_The power to create and spread life, intelligence, and understanding throughout the cosmos. Use this power wisely." - Steve_

_

* * *

_

The sun relentlessly beat down from above, a huge orb of torment burning away at the surface of the planet Barx.

"Seriously guys… why is it so hot here?" Chase asked in exasperation. He waved his hands back and forth in front of face in a vain attempt to create an artificial breeze.

"This planet is just a bit closer to the sun than yours was, that's all…" Roku explained.

The three of them were standing atop the planet Barx, a barren desert world, known for its complicated natural rock structures and boiling temperature. They were presently standing in a spacious canyon, with cracks and crevices riddling it's entire surface. The rock material was a shade of brown, and the sandy ground beneath the captains' feet was a dark orange.

There was what _appeared_ to be a riverbed at the bottom of the canyon, dried up by the powerful sun. Whether it was at some point a river, or just years of erosion was inconclusive. However, judging by the incredible heat of the planet, any sane person would agree with the second inference.

Small clusters of plants could be seen growing out of the ground and the cracks in the canyon. Small shrubs, cactus-like plants, vines, and even the occasional tree were sporadically placed in the environment. Every one of these plants had to have an incredibly resilient root system, because looking at the sky, it did NOT appear to rain very often. While sand did coat the ground, it was condensed and hard, providing a sturdy surface to walk on.

"But seriously… how could any life survive on this planet at all?" Chase questioned, still continuing his attempt to cool himself off.

"Well… technically a planet's distance from the sun doesn't matter. It's the relative ratio that matters. If a planet is far away from the sun, but it's atmosphere is filled with heat trapping particles… then it could still support life. That's why terraforming works," Roku explained, "This planet is indeed a T3 environment. Just because were not used to it, it _does not mean_ that a plentiful amount of other organisms wouldn't be."

"Like all of these plants. Seriously, I never could have imagined anything could thrive here. It's just a dessert!" Chase remarked.

They were rounding a corner in the canyon. Rock formations began to come into view. Huge archways of stone were mounted above. Giant spires of intricate rock rose up into the sky. The sight was stunning - The things that nature could do.

"I want to be impressed and all… but I'm burning hot here!" Chase exclaimed. He was sweating profusely, now trying to flap his shirt up and down to cycle air through it.

"You think you have it bad?" Maruck said, "I have a hide meant for freezing weather, the exact opposite of this place."

"Yeah… but I'm sure you've had experience with this kind of stuff before! You are an admiral captain after all," Chase retaliated.

"What do you mean by _'expierence_?'" Maruck responded, "I'm sure you don't mean traveling all the way to the planet Barx in a random attempt to contact professor Wex, a so called 'scientist' who is supposed to have information on the hypercube. And all the while we have the entire Grox empire thinking the three of us are dead, while they plot their next move to destroy the galaxy; The same empire that is now being controlled by a completely unknown superpower. Of course, that's what you meant by _'I have experience_,'"

"Ugh… I managed to steal a teleport device from my planet's highest security facility. What did you do?" Chase retaliated.

"Saved an entire star system from its sun's collapsing! Rescued a species from extinction! The real question is what you did to get here!" Maruck shouted back.

Chase and Maruck were bickering to no end, and Roku was trying his best to ignore it as he walked ahead.

_Ugh, _Roku thought, _It is hot here._

Annoyed by his comrades' constant noise, he decided he would end it. He unfurled his wings, pushing them downwards as fast as he could. A strong current of wind was generated that shot out in every direction. The blast of wind hit Maruck and Chase, and they immediately ceased their argument. They were given instant relief from the pounding heat of the planet Barx.

"Whoa…" Chase said, "I feel better now…"

The two of them just stood there with blank expressions on their face. It was Roku that spoke up first.

"God the heat must be getting to your heads! Do you realize how childish you two just were? By the way, Maruck," Roku said, glaring at him, "Chase managed to inform his entire planet about the existence of aliens and government conspiracies. THAT'S what he did to get here."

"I see… but I think the real question is what _we did_ in order to deserve getting thrown onto this burning rock!" Maruck said.

"Were here to get information on the hypercube. We need to know as much as possible," Roku said back.

"I already know. I just want to get this over with quickly!" Maruck retaliated.

The three captains approached yet another bend in the canyon. When they turned the corner they stopped in shock. Instead of getting a glance at another row of rock formations, something completely unpredictable occurred.

The canyon walls ended.

In front of them was a vast expansive field. A desert stretching out as far as the eye could see. The same barren compact sand under their feet stretched out into a sea of utter flatness. Several rock formations also dotted their view. Multiple spires were placed randomly across the dessert field, each one casting long shadows to the east. While plants were present, they were mostly cacti and shrubs. Heat distortion was fogging the distance, making anything farther away than two hundred feet invisible.

While it _was_ blurry, a building was definitely visible in the far distance. A huge facility was planted right in the center of Chase, Maruck, and Roku's vision. The details of the building were vauge, but it was clear it had a large roof, and some sort of fence or wall surrounding the outside perimeter.

"What is that?" Maruck asked.

"It's…" Roku began.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Chase interrupted, "You're not going to answer this time; You always answer! I think I know what it is."

"Well… ok… what is it then?" Roku asked.

"I think… um…. Well… could it be that research facility you were talking about?" Chase said, hesitantly.

"Actually, yes," Roku said, "It's where were heading. That's where professor Wex is."

"Again… who is this Professor Wex?" Maruck asked, turning his head away form the field in front of them to stare at Roku.

"A scientist of the Chimera Empire that the Tharians hired to investigate the hypercube," Roku explained.

"Why couldn't the Tharians just do it themselves?" Maruck bluntly asked.

"They would have, but Professor Wex had proven himself to be the leading expert in identifying unknown objects within our galaxy. We thought that if anyone could figure out where it came from, then it would be him," Roku responded.

"Wait… Chimera? What kind of an empire name is that? On earth the word 'Chimera' just means two things in one," Chase commented.

"I'll explain as we move towards the facility. We're just wasting time standing here, and I for one would like to spend as little time under this sun as possible," Roku said. The three of them began a brisk pace forward, covering as much ground as they could, quite eager to get under the shadow of one of the rock formations. They did not want to spend an extended period of time in this ridiculous weather.

"Ok.." Roku said, after they had walked about ten yards, "It's time for SETI translator lesson number one. You do realize that Maruck and I are _not_ speaking English, right?"

"Sort of," Chase said.

"Basically, your suit has is equipped with a 'SETI Universal-Translator' that has been interpreting any information that is sent to your brain and changing to a form that you would comprehend," Roku explained, "I had one when I met you on Sol III, and you possessed one from then on out. It's how all of the creatures of this galaxy communicate. Any language, Thaknarese, Scorplian, English, and even Tyanod was filtered so that you would understand it."

"Seriously… this whole time? Well… what does this have to do with…" Chase said, as they continued their stride forward.

"Getting to that. As it is difficult to translate specific names, the device will either generate a random set of letters that make sense phonetically, or use a pre-existing specific noun from your language. The word it chooses will make the most sense when describing the name. For example, 'Chimera' in your language is a creature with multiple heads, or, in scientific terms, an organism with genes from two different organisms," Roku continued to explain, "Well… the translator keeps the same 'two' theme, but uses it in a different way. It's not the number of heads that it uses the variable two for, but the number of _arms._ The Chimera have two sets of arms."

"What? They have four arms? And I thought a scorpion tail was bad enough!" Chase exclaimed.

"Hey!"

"Yes, they do have four arms. But wouldn't you technically count wings as another set of limbs as well?" Roku asked, staring at Chase with a questioning look.

"Well… I guess… but… I don't know!" Chase retaliated, "It just seems weird okay! Having two sets of arms and all."

Roku, Chase, and Maruck gasped in relief as they passed under the shadow of a looming rock structure. This one was a deformed spire, with a portion of its top missing, leaving a large hole similar to a donut's center. While the shadow was not by any means cold, it was much closer to room temperature than being directly under the furious rays of the sun.

"Almost there guys," Roku gasped, "If we take a sprint for the next one we'll be able to get into the air conditioned research base."

"Remind me again why we didn't just _land_ in the base," Maruck said, leaning against the base of the rock spire.

"This isn't a military facility. They don't have any defenses. It's common courtesy to land away from the base and enter peacefully," Roku explained.

"Still, couldn't we just cheat?" Maruck asked, waving his hand in front of his face, "Spode its hot! Could you at least do that thing with your wings again?"

Roku rolled his eyes and beat down his wings again, sending out another rush of wind. Chase and Roku sighed as it hit them.

"Seriously guys... there isn't anything I'd want more right now than a nice cold glass of water – Maybe even an ice cream sundae… mmmm….." Chase said.

"Come on, we have to keep moving," Roku commanded, as he continued his stride out of the shadow and towards the base. Maruck sighed as he pushed himself off the rock spire, forcing himself to continue on their hike. It wasn't going to be easy, but they had definitely suffered through worse things.

* * *

"At last!" Chase exclaimed, as the three captains slid to a hault under the shadow the research facility's entrance doorway.

It was colossal. The doorway itself was at least twenty feet tall, composed of an orange tinted metal, worn down and rusted by the relentless winds. While it looked like a pair of double doors, it was clearly a form of gateway. An archway of the same material was curved over the doorways top portion. Embossed into its surface, in a dark red coat, was the text:

_Chimera Research Facility 10B – Genetic Engineering_

On either side of the entranceway were elongated walls. Instead of an orange color, these walls were tinted a shade of dark blue, but due to the never-ending erosion and wind abuse, they were coated in layers of sand and dirt, with only streaks of worn away blue visible on the aged wall.

Staggered about 10 feet apart along the walls surface, were small tower-like structures. Each one distorted the surface, giving it a small semicircle "bump" appearance. The towers extended for about half of a foot above the top of the wall.

Atop each tower was a small rotating radar dish, each one of simple design – gray, small, concaved – but they were all just as rustic as the wall itself.

"This is weird," Roku stated, "Normally they have a small shields to prevent this kind of ageing…"

The captains eyed the strange state of the entranceway, before proceeding to stand right next to the base of the closed gateway.

There was a small square piece of metal latched to the bottom-center of the gateway, level with Roku's chest.

"Is that another login device?" Chase asked.

"Indeed it is… but something is wrong…" Roku said, raising his hand and touching the device's surface. Another hologram screen rose from the metal square's surface, glowing and shaking under the bright sun. A message in red, bolded font appeared on the holograms' surface.

_The facility is in 100% lockdown. Quarantine is active. Do not attempt to enter or leave the research facility. All passage has been placed on hold. _

"Whoh, what… what happened?" Maruck asked.

"I don't know…" Roku responded, "But this entire facility is completely shut down. Hold on… I might be able to…" Roku pulled a small device out of his left pocket. It was in the shape of a squashed ellipsoid, with a rectangular screen cut into the top surface. Roku immediately touched the screen's surface, causing it to light up and hum.

"Initiate voice command…" stated the device, in a stereotypical feminine voice.

"Scan for sentient life forms within a five mile radius," Roku commanded, speaking directly to the device within his hands. After what seemed like ten seconds of the device whirring and shaking, it responded with, "Only three sentient lifeworks are present within a five mile radius."

"But that's just the three of us! What about everyone inside the facility!" Chase exclaimed.

"There… there isn't anyone inside the facility… At least not alive. We need to figure out what happened… quickly," Roku responded, with an aura of urgency in his voice.

"But the facility _is in quarantine_. Isn't the whole purpose of a quarantine to keep the place off limits?" Maruck stated, questioning Roku's idea.

"Not to mention the fact that we still need to _get through _the gateway," Chase said, jumping into the conversation.

"Yes, give me a sec," Roku said, turning back to the large double doors in front of them. He held out his hand, pressing it against the warm metal surface of the facility's entranceway. He needed this to work.

Roku willed with his mind for the door to open. Somewhere… on the other side of the wall… was a manual unlock switch. Roku imagined in his mind what that would look like. A small switch… one that he could turn… something that was moveable; Something that he could change without actually seeing. He knew it had to work. He willed with all of his mind, and all of the hypnomelder energy within him, for the switch to move. And… amazingly… It worked.

A long reverberating clicking noise became predominant as the gateway slid open. The two doors split along the center, swerving slowly out of the way, giving vision to what lie within.

Directly before them was a stone pathway, leading forward with a bend. They could now see the interior of the facility. They were staring at a courtyard. Trees of the same specimens that were visible in the canyon were present in small, organized clusters, clearly artificially placed. Looking around, they noticed that the wall they had viewed from the outside encircled the entire facility, with no other entrance visible but the one they had taken.

Yet another doorway could be seen at the end of the stone pathway. It lead directly into the main, indoor portion of the research facility, a large warehouse-like structure, with multiple levels, domed roofs, balcony areas, and tower sections. The metal that composed its walls was a dull gray, and the tiles that pieced together the roof were a dark maroon. The doorway at the end of the pathway was already partway open, allowing the suns bright rays to cast a long ominous beam of light into the dark hallway within.

"Whoh…" Chase stated.

But, unfortunately, it wasn't the facility building that put him in awe, but what littered the courtyard.

None of the captains were prepared for what they saw.

Bodies, tons of them, were scattered all _everywhere._ Some of them were lying against the trees; Some of them were lying spread-eagled upon the ground; but _none _of them were alive.

There could not have been a worse way for Chase to be introduced to the Chimera.

They had a green, almost scaly hide, with an arched back and a long neck. White stripes ran down their entire body, all the way to the Chimera's long tail, which extended outwards at the end, similar to a dolphin's fluke. The hands were relatively human - if you discounted the fact that there were four of them - and their feet were in the form of talons – though they were not quite as bird-like as Roku's. While the head was small in comparison the rest of the body, it also sported six eyes, three on either side of the head. They were small, round pupils, with no white area. Their arms and legs were covered in an exoskeleton, but the torso and tail had a similar hide to that of Maruck's.

The many dead Chimera that strew that sandy ground only served to strengthen the strange atmosphere. Something had killed _all _of the Chimera in the facility.

"What happened?" Maruck said, hesitantly, as he looked around at the horrifying scene.

"I… I… I don't… I don't know…" Roku said, still in shock.

Roku turned his head towards the doorway to the indoor facility. It was dark inside - _and the bodies around them did not seem to be encouraging it_ - but Roku knew that he _had_ to figure out what had happened.

"It's no good standing around here," Roku said, beginning to stride forward, "We need some information!"

Roku was following the pathway as close as he could, dodging the bodies of Chimera that lay upon it.

"You can't be serious!" Maruck shouted back, following up close behind Roku, "First the quarantine, and then these bodies! It's clear were not supposed to be here!"

"What do you plan on doing anyway?" Chase asked.

"Getting to the surveillance room – _shouldn't be too far in_ – and figuring out what happened. After all, if professor Wex is _gone_… well… we're not gonna be able to get more that a few shards of information."

"Then why are we still here?"

"A shard is better than nothing… wouldn't you say? Come on."

They reached the doorway to the facility, and with an effortless thrust, forced it open all of the way. It swung open with a long squeak, making Chase cringe at the sound.

Beyond the thick metal door was a passageway. A long, dark passageway, with a light fixtures attached to the ceiling, and the walls a shade of tan. The lights above were flickering, and floor was divided into slabs of gray metal. At the points where the walls, floor, and ceiling met, there were steel pipes running down the length of the hallway. The wall was splattered with blood in some places, and cobwebs could be seen covering distinct corners.

While it was dark inside, the light from bright sun outside was spilling inwards, flooding the front portion of the hallway with visibility. Unfortunately, the light also revealed another multitude of dead Chimera, most of which were lying against the walls, no life in their eyes.

"Dear god! What happened here?" Chase exclaimed.

"Look at the plus," Maruck said, stepping into the hallway, and gesturing around, "Air conditioning." He _was _right. It was much colder inside that it was outside.

"Yeah… and the irrefutable smell of dead bodies!" Chase snapped back.

"Enough bickering!" Roku exclaimed, picking up his pace again.

"Ok, where is this 'surveillance room?'" Maruck asked, directly behind Roku.

"Well I've been a few times before," Roku responded, "The Chimera are quite nice actually. Diplomats, and founders of the galactic alliance."

"Wait," Chase interrupted, "They're the ones that built that database thing?"

"Not just them. They worked with all of the empires in the alliance," Roku explained, "The alliances ultimate goal is to encircle the Grox from all sides and rid the galaxy of their evil. The alliance includes the… well… the _Chimera Empire_… duh… the New Tharian Empire… the Bingfish Empire… the Amahani Empire…"

"The Schorpnak Empire," Maruck butted in.

"That too," Roku finished, "Basically, _everyone _is trying to stop the Grox."

"And was it working?"

"For a time, but now I'm just not sure. What with the Grand Master and all…"

"Guys, wait," Maruck stated. Roku and Chase spun around, and saw that Maruck had stopped following them, and was now staring at one of the Chimera bodies.

"What is it?" Chase asked.

"It's strange…" Maruck said, examining the body, "Not everyone here was killed in the same way.""

"What do you mean?" Chase asked, taking the few steps back to where Maruck was standing.

"I mean… look at this body. Clearly killed by another sentient being… just look at that wound…" Maruck said. There was a large gash across this particular Chimera's torso, but it had a strange purple tint around the outer edge. "That's a poison blade cut. This person was _definitely _killed by another Chimera or space-fairing creature of the like… _but _look at this person." Maruck gestured at a body just across the hall. Instead of a clearly defined gash, its entire body appeared to be mutilated. It's arm was twisted back, and it's entire neck was cut up, as if something had bitten into it…

"What… what happened to him?" Chase stuttered, almost gagging at the disgusting sight.

"Whatever killed that person was feral. A creature, with the intent purpose of killing that person to consume them," Maruck said, "Dear Spode, what happened here?"

They continued to stare at the mutilated body for a few more moments, when they were suddenly interrupted by Roku's voice.

"Well if you want to find out… then you might want to hurry up!" Roku called from across the hall. He had already continued a good length away from them, and was getting ready to turn a corner.

"Hey! Wait up!" Chase called, quickly turning away form the dead body and sprinting down the hall. Maruck and Chase caught up with Roku just as he turned the corner.

Beyond lie another hallway, practically identical to the one they had just been in. The only difference was in the large chrome doors that were now lining both sides of the hallway, spaced apart at predictable intervals of 6 to 7 feet. They were solid metal, with large bolts and screws locking them in place. There were no door handles, simply small panels with a fingerprint scanner.

"Talk about security!" Chase said.

"It is a genetic engineering lab," Roku explained, "Wouldn't want any of their failed creations to escape, now would they?"

Roku walked up to the nearest door, just about 3 feet away, and on the right side of the hall. He pressed his thumb against the fingerprint scanner, only to be greeted with a displeased chime. The chime that a computer makes when the operations you requested wasn't possible.

"Agh, dang," Roku exclaimed, "Quarantine. We need another way in. This _should _be the surveillance room. Once we get in, we can figure out what _actually _happened."

"Here, let me have a shot," Maruck stated, stepping forward. Roku moved out of the way, as Maruck raised both of his hands, positioning them so that his palms faced the scanner on the door.

A bolt of electricity arced from Maruck's arm, and directly into the fingerprint scanner. It shocked and lit up, eventually exploding in a shower of sparks. Maruck lowered his arms, as the burnt-out doorway slowly slid inward.

"Excellent," Roku said, "These are some seriously useful side effects."

The three of them took the few steps it took to pass through the door. It was _definitely _the surveillance room. Lining the entire wall were at least a dozen video monitors. Below each one was a separate control panel, with more knobs and levers than any of the captains could count.

"Ok… what do we do now?" Chase said, staring around at the new room.

"This," Roku said, running forward and pushing forward on the largest lever on the center module.

"Was it really that simple?" Chase asked.

Every screen in the room lit up, displaying the Chimera Empire logo, and playing a short anthem. Moments later it displayed a simple one lined message. The background was dark blue, and the text stood out in its bright white color.

_Data reformat complete… launch system… Y/N_

"NO!" Roku exclaimed.

"You _don't_ want to launch the system?" Maruck said, puzzled.

"Not that, the system was reformatted. Whoever attacked this base erased the entire memory bank! All the data is gone!" Roku explained.

"There has to be something else!" Chase said, looking around the room in desperation.

"Well…" Roku said, with an air of uncertainty in his voice. He was now pacing back and fourth across the surveillance room, as if he was contemplating something.

"What?" Maruck said.

"There is something… but you won't like it."

"Just tell us," Chase said.

"Before a file is completely destroyed it is sent to the main hardrive to be stored until the end of the week, when it is completely deleted. If this attack was recent…" Roku said, "I might be able to get that data and transfer it to the Tharak."

"Then why aren't we?"

"I have no idea where the main computer is! And on top of that only one of us could go looking for it anyways!"

"Why on earth would that be?" Chase asked.

"As you can already tell, the base's shield is down, as evident by the rustic outer wall. So… if that's true, than the computers cooling system will also not be restrained. Chimera motherboards use a liquid nitrogen based binary recall system. The passageways near the main computer will be _far_ below zero degreees."

"What about the personal shields?"

"They work at creating an artificial atmosphere, but I don't think you understand just _how_ cold the computer room will be. So cold that even after it is diminished by our personal shields, it will still be at least a hundred degrees below zero."

"Then how does this…" Chase began, but he stopped when he saw Roku' head turn to face Maruck.

"Yes fine," Maruck responded, "I have a hide that protects me from cold weather. I'll go through the incredibly creepy passageways of a destroyed research facility filled with mysteriously dead bodies in an attempt to recall whatever shards of information we can attain." Maruck took a breath after his long sentence, and continued, "But I want to get it over with quickly. This place creeps me out!"

* * *

_I hope to release the next chapter soon, as I want to close of this mini-story arc before I go on vacation for two weeks. So wish me luck!_

_Also, if anyone is interested in seeing what the creatures in this story look like, I just put a link to each one on my profile page. Just an interesting reference!_

_Hope you enjoy this story, and see ya' next time!  
_


	12. The Creature of Change

_Yet again... another chapter that was supposed to be one that ended up being two. I've come to realize that that's probably going to happen alot, so I might as well stop telling you. Whatever, without further adue, here is chapter 12... and 13._

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**12:** THE CREATURE OF CHANGE

_"Knowledge can be obtained through a process of investigation, observation, the gathering of empirical data, reason, hypothesis, and the testing of the hypothesis." –Books of Science

* * *

_

"_Ok… is the radio working?" _Roku asked.

"Yes, Roku. It's transmitting perfectly fine," Maruck said, speaking into the small device in his collar.

"_Good, now… are you sure you want to do this?"_

"I'm sure," Maruck stated, "Whatever came to this place and killed everyone is long gone."

"_How can you be sure?"_

"Your life sign indicator said there was nothing living in this facility, right?" Maruck asked, with an unnecessary stress on the word 'right.'

"_True. But you never really know…"_

"Thanks for brightening my day." Maruck responded, with a hint of sarcasm.

Maruck was striding down the long gloomy passageways of the Chimera Genetic Research Facility, not taking a moment to delay his trip. The horrible lifeless bodies of the once brilliant Chimera scientists could be found lying against the walls, the floor, and on just about any surface that Maruck looked. It was quite a horrifying sight.

The walls contained thick metal doors on either side of the passageway, each one sealed with a triple-titanium kronon grid. Maruck knew that he could easily destroy them with a blast from his electron energy, but he chose reaching his destination over dawdling in the incredibly strange hallways of the ruined building. After all, it doesn't get quite creepier than a destroyed genetic research facility that's filled with dead bodies, locked in quarantine, and in the middle of a dessert with streams of light from the bright sun creeping its way through cracks in the ceiling.

Whatever the case, Maruck was not at all intent on being anywhere for too long. He was practically jogging through the corridors of the research facility, looking up as he passed flickering light fixture after flickering light fixture.

"_Hold on Maruck,"_ Roku said, speaking through the radio.

"What?" Maruck said, reluctantly coming to a stop.

"_I think I have the map working… agh, yes, here we go. I was able to use the surveillance rooms map system in conjunction with my life sign indicator to display where you are in relation to the rest of the facility. Now I can tell you where to go."_

"Excellent."

"_Ok… take the turn up ahead… go right. Then tell me if you see rooms labeled 119 through 139."_

Maruck did as instructed, and took the upcoming turn. The hallway he stared upon now was nearly identical to the one he had turned out of. The only difference was in, sure enough, the room numbers. In this hallway, they showed the numbers 119-139.

"Perfect. That's where I am," Maruck said, talking into the radio device.

"_Great, that means this system is working. Just to double check… there should be a computer interface panel to your left… and just a few yards ahead of you."_

Maruck turned his head and looked. There it was, a small computer panel, that normally would be installed and folded into the wall. It currently was open, with the keyboard-like structure perpendicular to the screen connected to\ the wall.

"Yeah, it's here," Maruck responded.

"_Excellent! And… wait a minute… actually… go over to that computer. I need to check something…"_

Maruck stepped forward and pressed a random button on the center of the keyboard. The screen lit up, and to Maruck's dismay, displayed the same message that the surveillance room computers had:

_Data reformat complete… Launch System… Y/N_

"This one's reformatted as well," Maruck explained into the radio.

"_I expected as much… but look at the bottom of the screen."_

Wondering what Roku wanted, Maruck looked down at the bottom inch of the screen. To his surprise, there was another message in the same white text:

_One backup file intact… To Launch with file press F2…_

"There's a file intact," Maruck said, "But what is it?"

"_Ah ha! Yes! Professor Wex is brilliant! Knowing him, incase anything like this happened, he would create a 'virtual journal' to keep track of everything that had occurred… so people like US could learn what happened. He must have encrypted the pieces of the journal and separated them… effectively keeping them out of reach from the data reformat! Maruck, open that file!"_

Maruck didn't hesitate to press down on the F2 key, causing the screen to light up in a white light, and moments later it displayed what anyone on Sol III would have called a 'desktop.'

A video file popped up on the screen, instantly expanding to fill the entire frame. Maruck quickly pressed the play button and stepped back, not sure as to what would happen.

A Chimera appeared on the screen. He looked similar to the dead bodies all around, but his uniform looked more official. Plus the fact that he was… well… _alive. _ He had a white scientist vest on, with a nametag pinned to the side of the fabric. Maruck could easily read the clearly defined print: Professor Wex.

"It's him… It's professor wex." Maruck said.

"_Of course it is. Just watch it and tell us about what happened when its over."_

Turning his attention back to the monitor, Maruck noticed that Wex was sitting on a chair in room similar to a laboratory. Bubbling flasks of different colored liquids were frothing in the background, and other Chimera scientists could be seen at other stations, going about their own business.

Wex, on the other hand, was busy adjusting the camera.

"_Hello…? Is this on?" _Wex said, eventually stopping his adjusting and staring directly into the camera lens, _"My name is Professor Takimus Wex. I'm creating this little diary incase anything bad happens… and to keep me sane while I work here on this ridiculously hot planet. I may be inside with air conditioning, but I still wonder why we chose this accursed rock!"_

Maruck laughed. So he wasn't the only one that hated this planet.

"_Anyway," _Wex continued, _"I got transferred here because the other scientists needed help with their new project. Agh! That's right… the delta project. We're trying to create an organism with the innate ability to change and amalgamate the process of anything that attempts to engage it in combat. We need something useful in our fight against the Grox. It's for that reason that we're codenaming these creatures 'Deltas.' They are the organism of ultimate change. Now if only we could make one…"_

The video ended in static, seconds later closing to display the desktop again.

"It wasn't anything much," Maruck said into the radio, "Just him talking about getting transferred to this base and working on a new project."

"_Good. Now keep moving. If I see any more monitors I'll let you know."_

* * *

"Copy that," Maruck responded. He took off again, resuming his jog through the gloomy passageways. Was it just him… or was it getting colder?

"This is the next monitor?" Maruck asked, coming to a halt in front of a similar screen and keyboard configuration.

"_Indeed. Just go through the same process as before. This is definitely helpful."_

Maruck pressed the spacebar, immediately afterwards slamming down on the F2 key. A familiar desktop greeted him, along with the starting of another video file. He pressed the play button, and watched the next journal entry.

As predicted, Professor Wex was in a similar seat, but Maruck could tell that time had passed, as different flaks were present in the background, and whiteboards with complicated formulas were now stacked in the distance. Wex also looked disheveled, as if he had just finished something incredibly important, but a look of pure joy was also curved across his face.

"_It's a glorious day for the Chimera!" _Wex exclaimed, _"The Deltas are complete! They are the epitome of my work as a genetic scientist, and are clearly some of the finest synthetic life forms that have ever been created. It took a LONG time to get the formulas right… but the outcome was as predicted. Whatever form of weaponry we attack them with, they absorb its power. They feed off of the energy of combat. They are the ultimate warrior, and the best part is, they are completely controlled by the neural relay device within their brains! They would obey us to the end of time! Oh… wow… almost sounded evil for a second there… hehe"_

Wex cleared his throat and continued, _"Furthermore, due to our recent success, we were just contacted by the New Tharian Empire. They seek my ability to discover the purpose of mysterious objects. Apparently an object fell on their planet and advanced them drastically. Now they want ME to figure out what IT is. They sent me a small sample of what they call the 'hypercube,' and offered a hefty reward fund if I figure out what it is. Hopefully this is yet another leap forward for the Chimera Empire."_

This video also ended in static, and Maruck wasted no time in turning off the console and continuing down the hallway.

"That one did have something interesting," Maruck said to Roku, "They completed whatever project they were doing… but they also got a job to investigate the hypercube."

"_Agh, well… that is why were here. Now if only we could actually figure out what he learned. Keep going… it might be on the next console."_

Determined, Maruck continued his stride through the foreboding hallways of the ruined research facility. Unfortunately, Roku was wrong.

Maruck spent the next twenty minutes watching journal entry after journal entry, and learning _nothing_ new. There was not much interesting stuff happening during this time of Wex's life. He simply continued to investigate the hypercube, and assist his comrades in training the Deltas. Wex didn't say anything important anymore, he just blabbered on about the heat of the planet, and the countless investigation he was putting into the hypercube fragment. Maruck almost got bored watching the different videos.

* * *

"Please tell me this is the last one!" Maruck exclaimed, as he walked up to yet another computer console.

"_The map only shows two more consoles that you haven't visited. One of them is on the way to the main computer room, and the other one IS the main computer. Just stop dawdling and watch the stupid video!"_

Sighing, Maruck repeated the process that he felt like he had done ten times already. The video appeared on the screen, this time displaying Wex in a completely different room.

_Huh_, Maruck thought, _This might be interesting…_

Wex was quickly adjusting the camera, and seemed quite exited about something. He was practically jumping out of his seat in joy, but Maruck saw that Wex was at least _attempting_ to regain his composure.

"_I've done it! I've finally done it!" _Wex exclaimed, _"I know what the hypercube is! It took me forever to figure it out, but then it just clicked! I can't believe no one saw it before! In fact, 'hypercube' is just the name the SETI translator assigned it. Most species already have a name for it, but the translator had to process the specific-name that the Tharians gave it… so it used the word 'hypercube,' as most species already used that word to describe a gemometric object with unfathomable properties. The context it is used in would change… but at this point, I am SURE that 'hypercube' is not its true name. It's real name is a name that is present across almost every language, used mostly in the field of theoretical science. The best I can do is pronounce it in my language and allow the translator to relay it in yours. In whatever language you hear this… THIS is the hypercube's true name. The object of which advanced the Tharians… is truly called a 'TESSERACT'."_

Static interrupted the screen, and the video predictably closed. Maruck simply stood there, dumbstruck, trying to process the information he had just learned.

"Roku?" Maruck asked, hesitantly.

"_Yeah?"_

"How did the Tharians name the hypercube?" Maruck questioned.

"_Oh, well… I suppose we just used the word… give me a sec I'll deactivate the translator so you can hear it… we used the word 'Karxcthyl'… which you hear as the word 'hypercube,' because most empires use it as a word to describe…"_

"A geometric object with unfathomable powers?" Maruck finished, "Yeah, Wex figured it out. The translator can be seriously annoying sometimes. The object is truly called a 'Tesseract.'"

"_Ok, well why didn't the Tharians ever hear about this? I mean that's what we hired him to do."_

"You expect me to know?"

"_Whatever, just continue on to the next main door. You're gonna' have to brake through this one."_

After sprinting at least twenty feet, Maruck expected to come across another turn, but before him was a solid metal door. Printed on the top, were the words: "Main Synthetic Life Laboratory."

Raising his hands, Maruck emitted another bolt of electron energy into the doors control switch. After sparking a humming, the door made a defiant 'click.'

Smiling Maruck kicked the door inward, causing it to fly backwards on its hinges and slam into the wall on the inside. Maruck practically skipped inwards, quite happy with his new ability.

But what stood before him almost made his jaw drop.

It was a gigantic open room, larger than anything else he had seen in the facility. There were no visible windows, and the ceiling, floor, and walls were all a dark-gray titanium. The only other exit to the room was a door on the exact opposite side, identical to the one Maruck had just entered through. There were no desks or flasks in this room, just one giant contraption present in the room's center. Two large glass cylindrical containers were installed into the floor. Above each one was a circular shield generator. Whatever was normally inside the container… was meant to STAY inside the container.  
Quite frankly, that appeared to have failed. _Both _cylindrical containers were broken directly along the center, with the top half lying shattered in ruin on the floor next to it. Pieces of glass were spread across the floor of the entire room, and the only thing to blame was the destruction of the glass containers.

As unlikely as it seemed, _none_ of the above was why Maruck felt himself gasp in surprise.

Not only were the bodies of Chimera scientists present across the floor of the laboratory, but the bodies of dead _Grox Warriors _also littered the ground of the spacious room.


	13. The Horror Within

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**13:** THE HORROR WITHIN

"Roku!" Maruck exclaimed into the radio, "It's the Grox! They attacked this base!"  
_"What?"_

"I'm in the main synthetic life laboratory, where they store the lifeforms for study, but the Chimera aren't the only lifeless bodies here," Maruck explained, "There are Grox warriors all across this room!"

"_None of them are alive… right?"_

"None, but I'm really starting to question what happened here. I mean… the Grox killed the Chimera… but what killed the Grox?..." Maruck said.

"_Then we officially need to hurry up. The next console is in that room. Get to it now!"_

Not wasting anytime whatsoever, Maruck dashed over to the computer console on the far end of the room. This time he had to pull it down into position, clicking the keyboard into place. Following his routine, he got the next journal entry to appear on the screen.

"_No! No! No!," _Wex exclaimed, practically crying, "_They are coming, I know they are. We tried to send our information on the tesseract to the tharians… but we got the worst thing we have ever heard. A Grox transmission reading: The New Tharians have fallen, and you shall be next. This can't be happening! I spent my whole life working for this, and I will NOT let them destroy this. I have a family, children, and friends. Oh great Arcadia! Please save us!"_

The video ended.

"It was them!" Maruck practically shouted into his radio, "The Grox came here after the Tharians fell, trying to destroy any information on the hypercube! errr… the Tesseract!"

"_They what?" _Roku responded_, "Then why on Thar are Grox bodies all across the synthetic laboratory?"_

"I have NO idea," Maruck said, turning his attention to the door leading out of the laboratory, "But I suppose there is only one way to find out.

"_The last journal entry…" _Roku realized, _"Head straight to the next door, not far behind it should be the main computer room."_

Maruck walked over to the exit doorway, and placed his hand upon its metal surface. It was freezing cold, as if it had been submerged in subzero water for a long period of time.

"Yep, this is it," Maruck said. He began to rub his hands together, in a way that would normally have created friction. As his pace speed up, sparks began to fly out of the contact points between his skin. The sparking grew in intensity, giving of pulses of light, almost glowing in the shadowy, destroyed laboratory.

After a good amount of energy had built up, Maruck released his hands, pointing his palms directly at the doorways lock system. The electricity arced from his hands and into the panel, and, as it had done the last 10 or so times, the panel burnt out and released, causing the door to slowly swing inward.

Pushing it forward the rest of the way, Maruck entered the hallway beyond. He wasn't at all prepared for what he felt.

It was absolutely freezing – like he was standing in the middle of a blizzard with no clothes on. Normally he would never feel stuff like this, due to his hide, but this was completely different. Looking around, he saw that the walls were covered in a layer of ice and thick show. Even large clusters of icicles were hanging from the ceiling. The hallway extended back at least ten meters, and then curved to the left.

Maruck hesitantly stepped inwards, attempting to duck under the forebodingly sharp icicles. Any one of those could slice him to his death if they fell.

"This is it," Maruck said, "This hallway is frozen solid."

"_Yep, that'd be because that hallway is adjacent to the computer room. Like I said, Chimera computers use a liquid nitrogen based binary cooling system. Due to the fact that this facility's secondary power appears to be off, the shield that normally restrains that temperature… well, you know. You're almost there."_

Maruck continued on, turning around the corner and viewing the next doorway. While it was identical to almost every other locked doorway in the facility, this one was covered in a thick layer of ice.

Sighing, Maruck arced another beam of electricity into the doors control panel, almost as if it was second nature at this point. The door clicked, but didn't move. Seeing this, Maruck kicked the door as hard as he could, creating a definite 'crack' between the ice that connected the walls and the door. Maruck kicked again; the crack became more prominent. Kicking one last time, with all of his might, the door was knocked freely off of the ice that restrained it, finally swinging inward, and smashing into the wall behind it.

There before him, was the main computer room.

Not quite as spacious as the laboratory, but not nearly as cramped as the surveillance room, the computer room was shaped in a perfectly circular pattern. There was nothing on the gray walls, if you discounted the ice and snow, and there was no other entrance but the one Maruck had taken. In the exact center of the room was a large pillar that extended to the ceiling. It was covered with computer monitors and strange lights that flashed at random intervals. Near the pillars bottom was a large bulge that extended at least 5 feet in radius. Maruck realized that it was the interface panel, covered in ice. What appeared to have been keyboards, switches, and levers, were frozen solid on the panel. There was only one dead Chimera in this room, a scientist who was lying on his back below the interface panel, a clearly defined poison blade cut through his side.

Entering the room, Maruck quickly wrapped his arms around himself, shivering in the intense cold. He had never felt anything like this in his life.

"Rrrrokkkkkuuuu?" Maruck said, stuttering and shivering through the words.

"_What?"_

"Why isss ittt so ccccollld in here?"

"_The actual temperature is only a few degrees above absolute zero, that's why we could only send you, remember? You're protected by the personal shield, AND your hide. Imagine if it was just me or Chase - We would freeze solid in an instant."_

"True, bbuttt I seriously wwwouldd likkkee to gggeettt this over wwith." Maruck stammered back.

Not spending anymore time standing still, Maruck dashed forward and examined the interface panel. How was he going to use a computer that was completely frozen over?

He moved to the nearest keyboard, and smashed his fist down on the ice as hard as he could. A large crack was created in the surface. Smiling, Maruck used his hands to pry the ice of the rest of the way, revealing the keyboard below. He rubbed his hands together before continuing, attempting to get feeling back into them.

Maruck instinctively began to type commands into the interface panel.

"_Ok, here's what were going to do. From that computer you can deactivate this research base's quarantine. Once that is down… we'll gain access to all of the laboratories and rooms without having to constantly blast our way through."_

"Cccoppy tthat," Maruck responded. One of the screens on the pillar turned on, revealing a similar desktop screen.

Navigating his way through multiple menus, Maruck found his way to the quarantine configuration. The onscreen instructions read:

_QUARANTINE IS ACTIVE… all passage is on hold… to deactivate quarantine press RETURN-SHIFT-CTRL_

For obvious reasons, Maruck immediately slammed down on those three keys, causing the screen to light up with another message:

_Are you sure?... Y=Yes/N=No_

There was no hesitation as Maruck forced down the Y key, causing the entire computer room to shake and rumble. The screen now displayed the message:

_Unlocking in progress… 7% Complete_

"_Great it's working!" _Roku said, _"All of the doors in the facility are opening up. In the meantime, you can view the last video entry. Once its done we'll meet back in the courtyard."_

Maruck returned to the original menu screen, pressing down on the F2 key, as he had done countless times before. The video file opened, and played the final entry in Professor Wex's video journal.

Maruck was taken aback by the change in scenery. Wex was IN the computer room, clutching his side and trying as hard as he could to speak. He looked seriously injured, and incredibly scared for his life.

"_This is it… I'm doomed," _Wex said, "_They came faster than we could stop them. The Grox arrived and sent in ground troops. They told us they would spare our lives if we gave them information on the Tesseract. Of course, we refused – the last brave thing we have ever done. They attacked us, killed a large portion of us with their deadly poison blades. Then… they did the most foolish thing ever. Their carless battle destroyed the Delta containment capsule in the synthetic laboratory. At the time… we were uploading new instructions to the delta's mind chips… and it all went wrong. The Deltas were confused, they didn't know what to do, and they were incredibly deadly. They escape and killed anyone they saw, with no distinction between Chimera and Grox. Many of the Grox attempted to beam out, and some succeeded, but most were killed."_

Maruck couldn't believe this. It all made sense now. This explained why some of the Chimera bodies were killed by sentient beings and others were ripped apart by feral animals. There had to be more…

"_And here I am…" _Wex continued, _"I ran away from everything, and locked myself in the main computer room. There is only one thing I can do now. Each and every one of the Delta's is infused with a kronon energy core, as with most synthetic life forms. Fortunately, the facility's generator ALSO uses a kronon energy core, but of the opposite polarity. I know that if I send the reactor into overload, it will cause all of the Delta creatures to be sucked into any laboratory powered by the generator, effectively trapping them. It was the ultimate failsafe that I had planned. Then, I put the base into quarantine, locking every door, and sealing the Delta's away. They will eventually go into hibernation, disappearing as a valid life sign signal. All I can do is hope that no one ever comes to visit this base again, and release the horror within. Since I have been hit by a poison blade, and I don't have much time left." _

Wex was still clutching his side, causing Maruck to be hit over the head with realization. In horror, Maruck stared back down at the dead Chimera below the interface panel, not even three feet away. Pinned to his shirt was a nametag… and, unmistakably, it read: _"Professor Takimus Wex."_

"_These are my last words…." _Wex continued through the video, _"The delta's will be safely locked away… so long as no one deactivates the quarantine…"_

It was in that moment that professor Wex disappeared off of the screen's view, falling to the ground, lifeless and dead.

"No…" Maruck said.

The video ended in static, and the computer screen returned to the screen it had been on before, which now displayed the message:

_Unlocking in progress… 97% Complete_

"No! No! NO!" Maruck exclaimed, "ROKU WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW! FORGET MEETING IN THE COURTYARD, WE NEED TO GET BACK TO THE THARAK NOW!"

"_What is wrong with you?" _Roku asked.

"The Delta's are being released! They'll be out any…" Maruck started, but was quickly interrupted. The screen message now read:

_Unlocking Complete… Quarantine Deactivated_

"RUN! GO! WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!" Maruck shouted.

Not wasting another moment, Maruck sprinted out of the computer room, allowing his powerful Scorpnak legs to propel him. He was in grave danger, and he had no idea how he would fight these creatures.

He dashed through the hallway adjacent to the computer room, and back into the synthetic laboratory. He ran past the destroyed containment capsules, now knowing their purpose. He dodged the many bodies of Chimera scientists and Grox warriors, coming to the realization that they should have never come to this planet.

At last, he reached the other end of the giant laboratory, practically jumping through the doorway. Maruck was back in the gloomy passageways, sprinting through the maze of the Chimera research facility. To his horror, he saw that every door that had previously been shut tight was now wide open, making Maruck feel incredibly vulnerable. He spun around several times, trying to encompass the entire hallway in his view. If any one of those Delta's showed up, he had to be ready to fight it.

Then he saw it. He was passing by a fork in the hallway, and down at the end… was creature unlike anything Maruck had ever seen.

It was coming out of one of the laboratories… and it was… strangely… _hovering. _

The creature, by all standards, looked like a sting ray. However, the tail was much longer, and covered in sharp spikes. The skin was dark green, with red, almost tribal, markings forming intricate patterns all over its body. The head was small, with shining blue eyes, and black snake-like slit pupils. The mouth was the scariest part. It was tiered into four sections. Four separate lips, all arranged in a square formation. There were hundreds of teeth placed circularly within the Delta's mouth, just like the teeth of a worm. The four lips, however, could open up, making the mouth twice its normal size, and releasing an earsplitting screech.

The Delta down the hall did just that, causing Maruck to clutch his hands to his ears. While he thought he might have been able to take one of these creatures, he gasped in despair when he saw at least five more emerge from the rooms near the one Maruck had just observed.

One of the deltas opened it's mouth all the way, spewing a turrent of spit in Maruck's direction. He dodged it, barely missing the liquid as it passed by his side. The spit came in contact with the floor, emitting a hissing sound and burning away at the material in the floor.

The spit was corrosive. Now Maruck was in trouble.

He spun around, dashing back towards the synthetic laboratory.

_Of course, _Maruck thought, _more_

Five to ten more Deltas were moving out of the rooms near the laboratory. Shocked, Maruck spun around again, running as fast as he could in the direction he had originally taken. This time he took a different path when the hallway forked.

The ten Deltas behind him were chasing him. They had been in hibernation for Maruck didn't know how long. They wanted to kill Maruck. Spinning his head around, he saw that the Delta's were still hovering, flying effortlessly through the hallways. All the while, Maruck was slowly loosing energy as he jumped over dead bodies, and strained his eyes to makes sure none of the Deltas would surprise him from behind a corner.

He was scared for his life, but he knew that he had to and he WOULD make it back to Roku and Chase.

* * *

"What's going on?" Chase exclaimed.

Both Roku and Chase were still in the surveillance room, worried about what was happening.

"I don't know! Maruck won't answer the communicator anymore! The last thing he said was to get back to the Tharak!" Roku retaliated.

"But that's all the way back in the canyon! How are we supposed to get there?" Chase said.

"I don't know but…" Roku began.

In that instant, a Delta flew through the open surveillance room door, drawn in by the smell of fresh meat. It sniffed around, quickly spotting Chase and Roku in one of the corners. The two of them slowing backed away from the creature, a look of utter terror in their eyes.

"What… is that thing?" Chase asked.

"That must be the thing the Chimera were creating…. We need to kill it now!" Roku responded.

"I got it," Chase said.

He stepped forward, holding both of his hands out to the side of his body, with his palms facing up. A flame appeared in both of them, casting a bright illumination into the dark room. Chase had a look of confidence as he drew his arms back and thrusted them forward. A pillar of fire grew from the flames, creating a deadly field of plasma. The flames collided with the Delta, causing it to writhe and squirm.

"You did it!" Roku exclaimed.

But, seconds later, the flames dispersed, dying away as quickly as they had appeared. And when Roku and Chase looked at the Delta, it was completely the same. Not a scratch or a burn mark was visible on its green skin.

"Huh?" Chase said.

The delta opened its mouth, releasing its own torrent of fire, causing Chase and Roku to jump in opposite directions to avoid the blast.

"What?" Roku exclaimed, "It absorbs abilities?"

"That's what it looks like!" Chase shouted back.

"Then absorb this," Roku said, with an air of anger in his voice.

Roku willed with his mind for one of the surveillance screens to move. To his gratitude, it did. One of the large 7 foot long screens disconnected form the wall, its cords sparking as it moved away from its power source. Roku threw his arms forward, commanding the screen to move as well. The large object colliding with the delta, forcing it backwards. As the screen smashed into the back wall, the Delta was sandwiched in between. Roku knew that _nothing_ could survive that.

"Yeah! You can't really absorb a giant computer screen hitting you now can you!" Roku shouted at the place where the Delta had once been.

"Roku! There's more!" Chase shouted.

Sure enough, just beyond the doorway, were three more Deltas, each staring at the two captains with hungry expressions on their faces.

"Not today!" Roku shouted. He raised his hands, and, with the hypnomelder energy within him, pulled the door shut, locking it simultaneously.

But the Deltas wouldn't give up. They were banging against the titanium doorway, creating a rhythmic SLAM, ever three or so seconds.

"They're gonna get in eventually!" Chase shouted.

"Then what do you propose we do?" Roku asked.

Chase looked around… there had to be a way out. He was thinking about everything that had happened. Surely they had forgotten something that was significant. There had to be something that they had overlooked…

"Wait… Roku… my short-range teleport… why didn't we just use it to get from the Tharak to the research facility without having to walk across the dessert?" Chase asked.

"Because this base, along with most others, have a teleport blocker to prevent unwanted foreign teleports! I already knew that! I need something more useful!" Roku retaliated.

"BUT THAT IS USEFUL!" Chase exclaimed, "If the shields are down, and the binary cooling unit containment is down, then what else wouldn't be working?"

Roku spun around and stared at Chase, a look of true joy on his face.

"Now THIS is why you're on our team!" Roku said.

The Deltas broke through the doorway, charging forward into the surveillance room, their teeth bared, ready to kill.

"NOW!" Roku shouted.

Both of the grabbed hold of Chase's teleport, and, in a glorious flash of whirling kronon energy, they disappeared.

* * *

_This is it! I'm doomed, _Maruck thought.

He was sprinting down a corridor, through the unfathomably confusing maze of the Chimera Research Facility.

But before him was hope - A doorway not too far in the distance. It had windows mounted into it, and rays of sunlight that were pouring through.

It had to be an exit leading outside.

The Delta's were hot on his tail, launching turrets of corrosive spit, causing Maruck to jump and dodge attacks every 5 seconds.

Maruck approached the door, arcing electron energy into it, and bursting it open by colliding into its side with his shoulder.

He stumbled outside, being horribly reminded how hot it was. He couldn't afford to stop running, and quickly picked up his pace. Maruck was back in the courtyard, running through the pounding heat of the planet Barx. He could see the large wall to his left, the same wall that encircled the entire facility, so he knew from experience that if he continued forward long enough, he would find his way to the front of the facility.

As he sped along, he lost track of where his feet were, and tripped over the body of dead Chimera. He stumbled to the ground, loosing a lot of his speed.

Maruck was just getting to his feet when something impaled him in the back. He was knocked forward, and he rolled along the ground and slammed into the side of the research facility.

Just as he turned around, he saw what had hit him. The Delta charged forward, knocking Maruck back into the wall. He saw for the first time that the Deltas had arms; Short thick arms, with stubby fingers, but arms none the less. It also had long, sharp claws, that were painfully digging into Maruck's skin. Maruck tried to struggle and escape the creature's grasp, but it had a surprising strength, and was easily forcing him against the metal surface that composed the side of the research facility.

"What are you?... Why didn't you just kill me?" Maruck asked, staring into the eyes of the creature that had him pinned to the wall.

The Delta began to move its mouth, emitting loud screeches as gurgling noises. It's fellow Deltas were hovering in a group some ten feet away from Maruck, simply staring at what was happening.

"What are you doing?' Maruck asked again.

The Delta simply continued to issue its strange noises, this time including a definite hissing noise, and a few trills. It was as if the Delta was trying to communicate to him, speaking in some foreign language.

"Are you trying to talk to… me…?" Maruck said, looking into the eyes of the feral creature.

The Delta said nothing, and continued to stare at the captain beneath it.

"If you are, then speak as close as you can to the language of those who made you," Maruck said, "Then I might be able to…"

"Don't be foolish! I knew that all along!" the Delta hissed, "We were created by the Chimera to be the ultimate warrior. We understand your language, and your plight. The Grox interrupted our neural transmit. That showed us the truth about all of the creatures of the universe. You are just meat, food to serve the swarm of Deltas that shall spread across the galaxy!"

"Don't you get it!" Maruck retaliated, sitting up, "The fact that the transmit was interrupted is why your insane!"

"You don't appear to be in a position to argue!" exclaimed the Delta, forcing Maruck back against the wall.

"But one thing dosen't make sense," Maruck said, "If I'm just food to you than why haven't you killed me?"

"Our ability to absorb abilities has a side effect. We gain a momentary flash of our victims life. I have experienced the life of a Grox solider, and his will is strong enough to send a message to you." the Delta responded.

"You mean that the consciousness of the Grox is having you do this?" Maruck asked.

"Not just that Grox, but EVERY Grox!" the Delta hissed, "It's the same consciousness that grips the entire empire! It has dominated the entire race as they move out to destroy the galaxy! The consciousness is so strong that even the Delta's now revere it!"

"You can't be talking about…"

"The consciousness of the God that will Come! The lord of darkness! The master of the Tesseract! Prepare foolish prey, for Agriath is returning!" The Delta began to hiss and screech, causing Maruck to cringe and thrive under its weight. If Maruck hadn't know any better, he would have said that the Delta was laughing.

"Anyway… enough of that. Time to eat!" the delta screeched. It's fellow Deltas in the background began to close in, and the one on top of Maruck began to open its mouth, revealing rows upon rows of spinning spiked teeth. The breath of the creature was unbearable, and the noises it emitted made Maruck want to kill the monster on the spot. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite in a position to do so.

The Delta brought its head back, ready to strike down and kill Maruck. Maruck closed his eyes, wanting it to happen quickly. He wished dearly that something would happen now… something to save him…

_Oh dear Spode! _Maruck thought, _Please help me!_

Something bright and orange blasted the Delta square in the back. It thrived and screeched, calling out in agony. The energy ate away at the Delta's flesh, and Maruck watched in amazement as the creature that had just pinned him to the wall was disintegrated in seconds.

Staring above at what had hit it, he called out in joy. Hovering above the research facility's wall, was the _Tharak._

Maruck did not care in any way, shape, or form how Roku had managed to return to the ship, he was just absolutely ecstatic that something had saved his life.

"_So,"_ Roku called through the Tharak's external speaker, _"Since that last Delta was rude and didn't give you the opportunity, do you have any last words before the rest of these evil creatures devour you?"_

Maruck was confused as to what Roku meant, but then it clicked. He smiled at the joke.

"Indeed I do," Maruck stated.

"And what would that be!" hissed one of the many Delta's.

There was a drawn out silence.

"ASCEND!" Maruck commanded, with the power of an admiral captain in his voice.

The pillar of glorious light shot out of the Tharak and encompassed Maruck. The Deltas charged, trying to catch their escaping meal, but they were too late. Maruck was flying upwards past the wall of the research facility, and safely into the Tharak.

As he materialized inside the spaceship, he shouted out in joy.

"You guys did it! We actually got out of there!" Maruck exclaimed.

Maruck stepped forward and sat down in his respective seat, staring out the front window and down at the Delta's below.

They were swarming around on the ground. While they could hover, they couldn't fly.

"What do we do now?" Chase asked.

"We already know their weakness," Roku explained, "They can absorb abilities, but not if their killed quickly enough."

Roku smiled and looked down at the Delta's.

"Alright you failed experiments, try this on for size!" Roku said.

He slammed down on one of the largest levers on the Tharak control panel. Something shot out from the belly of the spaceship, and collided with the research facility. A bright shining light filled their entire field of view, and their vision was blurred completely.

"What did you do?" Maruck shouted.

The light cleared slowly, revealing a column of fire that was radiating out from a giant crater in the ground. The research facility was gone, as were all of the Delta's and surrounding rock structures.

"What was that?" Chase asked.

"Anti-matter bomb; quite useful when you really need to just _destroy _something. They are incredibly potent," Roku responded, "Trust me, the only matter that's left below the Tharak is air and dirt, everything else has been wiped from existence."

"That was certainly an interesting experience; quite an adventure though," Chase said.

"Hey! You didn't have to go all the way into the facility and enter the coldest room ever!" Maruck retaliated, "I have to say though, that was pretty cool. A frozen super-computer, in a maze of the dead, in a ruined facility, in the middle of a boiling dessert - You don't usually find all of those things in one place."

"Well then," Chase said, "Where are we going next?"

"The Chimera home world, Phrychous. The Grox empire is probably going to mobilize on them next. Not to mention the fact that the Chimera need to know what happened to their best professor," Roku said.

"Sounds good to me," Maruck said.

"Then we should be on our way," Roku exclaimed, jamming forward on another lever, and sending the Tharak rocketing back into space.

* * *

_And now for author commentary!_

_Look at that! The name of this story actually has significance now! If you didn't already know the correlation between 'hypercube' and 'tesseract' then check out the video link on my profile. Carl Sagan should be able to explain to you the concept that I'll be using in later chapters._

_And with this chapter also comes the conclusion of the adventure on the planet Barx. Next up is an epic battle on the Chimera homerworld, and the introduction of Captain Arcadia!_

_Unfortunately, I have to announce that I'm going on a two week vacation, and probably won't be able to write much while I'm gone. I'll be sure to continue the story as soon as I can, so don't give up on it! If you have anything you want to say about the story, then please REVIEW! The little button is just below this text, and is just waiting for you to click on it! Reviews would make me get the next chapter out faster than just about anything else. So... review!_

_Thanks for reading!  
_


	14. Next in Line

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**14:** NEXT IN LINE

* * *

_"We theorize that the center of the galaxy may contain vital clues to the origin of the Grox." –Stones of Life_

_

* * *

_

"_Draxus, report!"_

"_Another Grox class 16b flagship just exited hyperspace above Phrychous. Its armed with a crew of at least six thousand raider vessels."_

"_Then prepare the weapons. I'm taking us up there."_

"_Sir, are you insane? We'll get blown apart in seconds!"_

"_There's a fine line between insane and brave, cadet. Like I said, prepare the weapons."_

"_Of course… activating rear kronon propulsion… siphoning all pulse cannons… mega-bomb modules primed for release… on your mark captain."_

"_Then let the fun begin."_

Captain Arcadia pressed forward on the main ignition lever. The Comet Wasp spaceship rocketed upwards, speeding into Phrychous's upper atmosphere. The artificial gravity came on line, allowing the crew to focus on the task at hand. They were entering one of the most chaotic battles in the history of the galaxy.

Every last bit of defense that the Chimera could muster was throwing all of its strength at the invaders, but the battle was inevitable. The Grox flagship remained untouched, with its shield of unbreakable archon energy providing constant protection. From the belly of this massive spacecraft, countless raider vessels were spewing out, almost as if the flagship itself had sprung a leak, and the incredibly powerful Grox raider vessels were what were pouring outwards.

The Chimera held their ground. They were _not_ going to lose their home planet, and would do anything to protect it. Chimera warships were flying up from the surface of the planet, firing megabombs, anti-matter missiles, auto-turrets, and pretty much anything they could, in hopes of inflicting damage on the Grox. Unfortunately for them, none of those weapons had managed to make even the slightest _dent _in the number of advancing vessels. While victory seemed out of the question, the Chimera were managing to hold off the Grox. But for how much longer…. that remained unknown…

The battle taking place above Phrychous was bloody, in a metaphorical sense. The shrapnel of destroyed spaceships were drifting in the vacuum of space, causing other ships to crash into them, adding even more debris to the floating field of destruction. The pilots of the Chimera spaceships had no real objective. They wanted their world to survive, so they simply fired upon any vessel that didn't register as an ally…

_Which was a lot of them._

Arcadia was forced to view this horrid scene through the ships front window. He cringed at the sight of the Grox. He was Captian Arcadia, and by _no_ means would he stand by and watch his world perish. He would do something.

His ship was dubbed the "Comet Wasp." For obvious reasons, its shape was in the form of a common wasp, but the coloring was darker and shaded. Where the eyes and head should have been, the main deck and piloting area were present. This was where the 4 crewmembers currently were, desperately trying to maneuver the entire vessel through the disarray outside.

Directly below the flight deck, in the lower section of the head, was the crew quarters. While it wasn't much of a dream suite, it did give the ships inhabitants a place to rest. Where the thorax is on a regular wasp, the cargo hold was installed. All of the tools that Arcadia uses throughout his missions (Terraforming Devices, Weapons, and few Static Cling charges) were stored within this section, along with quite a bit of spice for bargaining with stubborn empires.

The walls of the Comet Wasp's interior were a khaki and tan-ish color, with support columns of a grayish color visible all throughout the ship. Most of the doorways were of the metal-iris configuration, that spun and opened counterclockwise when they detected motion near them.

While the vessel _did_ look quite a bit like the insect, it contained a few things that made it incredibly distinct. For example, the wings themselves held the engines and propulsion drives necessary for space travel. The shield generator was divided into several nodes that glow on different places around the exterior of the spacecraft. Some weapons where present on the exterior as well. The mega-laser, for example, was installed directly into the wasp's jaws, and the missile and auto-turrets were poking out of the hull on the top. The entire vessel was of standard size, about the size of a house, 50 to 60 ft. in length. It wasn't quite flagship class, but it was much larger than one-manned raider vessels.

Some people asked why Arcadia chose such an absurd, distinctly strange, and obvious shape for his ship. For why on earth would anyone want a spacecraft shaped like a wasp?

Arcadia's responds was simple: _Everyone will know who I am. If you fear me, you will know immediately; And if you're my ally, you will never forget me.  
_

A bold move on his part, but his statement was true. When _anyone_ in the galaxy saw the Comet Wasp zipping through space, they _knew _that it was Captain Arcadia and his crew.

But as of now, it didn't matter. The Comet wasp was lost in the sea of Grox and Chimera ships alike, whizzing about in the space above Phrychous.

The crew on the Comet Wasp consisted of five members: Arcadia, the captain and pilot, Draxus, the weapons manager, Gire, the communications expert and engineer, and Tisep, the medic and Biotechnician. The three subordinates (Draxus, Gire, and Tisep) were situated on the lower level of the flight deck. Gire had a large set of computer panels and holographic screens that were built in a semicircle. He was constantly adjusting different levers and buttons. As the engineer, he made sure all of the ships systems were functioning, and if a problem presented itself, he was the first to know. Gire also managed communication with the many races they attempted diplomacy with. Tisep had a similar panel that she sat in. However, the problems she overcame were more in the actual fixing of problems as they arose. She maintained all of terraforming and weapons systems, making sure they always operate at full capacity. And in times of crisis, she also acted as the ships medic, and to date has never failed to save anyone in need.

Draxus had a separate portion of the bottom level of the flight deck. He had direct sight out of the front window, and for good reason. He controlled the firing and use of all of the ships weapons. Everything from mini-lazers to anti-matter bombs were at his disposal. He always enjoyed blasting an enemy ship out of the sky with an anti-matter missile, watching as the shrapnel was disintegrated and vaporized into nothingness.

Captain Arcadia, the leader of the group, was in his piloting chair on a command deck raised at least seven feet above his comrades. A short staircase lead up to his platform, but other than that… he was isolated. From here, he controlled every movement of the ship as it fought its way through the battle outside. A look of determination and focus was almost always blazing in his eyes, as he piloted the Comet Wasp through the Aeron Galaxy. He controlled the one ship that no one could possibly forget.

"Captain!" Gire exclaimed, "I'm getting a pre-emptive radiation signature from another hyperspace tunnel!"

"What?" Arcadia shouted back, not taking his eyes on where he was flying, "Why would the grox possibly need any more reinforcements?"

"No sir, It's not a Grox ship. That's not what the scanner is picking up," Gire explained.

"It's true," Tisep jumped in, "It has a completely different form of hyperspace tunneling engines. It's as if the entire vessel is ripping through hyperspace with a controlled blast of Dark Energy. At least, that's what the computer has been able to pick up."

"Not to mention the fact that the ship is tiny," Gire continued, "Not much larger than a Grox raiding vessel. How on earth could such a powerful hyperspace drive be fitted into such a small space?"

"We're about to find out," Arcadia said. The crew of the comet wasp all directed their attention out of the front window. In the distance, beyond the Grox flagship, a hyperspace tunnel was opening. Moments later, the form of a spaceship came rocketing out from within its depths, closing the tunnel shortly after. Gire was right, the ship was small, probably not even a fourth the size of the Comet Wasp. But it was sleek, and pitch black on every surface, with two large dark energy engines mounted to either side. Arcadia had seen that design before. It was one he couldn't possibly forget.

"It's Roku… Roku of the New Tharians," Arcadia said.

"New Tharians? We're saved!" Draxus exclaimed.

"Quickly, Gire, open communications with that ship!" Arcadia commanded.

"Got it," Gire shouted back, not wasting any time as he began punching seemingly random buttons across the control panel. A large rectangle of hologram energy appeared across the front window. Static was displayed for a few moments, but the signal predictably connected, and the video communication began.

On the screen was Roku; The lead captain of the New Tharians. He had the structure of a human, but with an orange-ish skin, and clearly defined feathers down the arms and legs. Not to mention the wings… and the talons.

"This is Captain Roku Azero of the New Tharian Empire. Please Identify," Roku stated through the video connection.

"Indeed, I am Captian Arcadia of the Chimera Empire, and am wondering… 'why in the world could you possibly have decided to come here, Tharian?' And at such a time of chaos."

"I suspected as much. I had the impression that the Grox Empire was targeting and eliminating the strongest empires in the galaxy. By all means… the Chimera Empire was next in line."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or a warning," Arcadia joked.

"I suggest taking it as both, captain. Never underestimate any circumstance," Roku said, looking directly at Arcadia.

"Yes, yes. I went through captain training too ya' know!" Arcadia retaliated, with a slight smile.

"Of course."

And in that instant, a beam of light shot up from the surface of Phrychous. Neither Roku nor Arcadia had time to react to its sudden appearance. The beam was translucent and white, and was heading directly for Roku's Tharak. Seconds later, the light collided with the surface of the small spacecraft, engulfing it from all sides.

"What the… what's going on?" Roku exclaimed, "I've lost complete control of the entire ship."

"Okay… so _I'm_ the one who didn't go to captain training," Arcadia said, with the tone of a smart alec.

"You think your funny, don't you?" Roku said, looking back up at Arcadia.

"First of all," Arcadia said, "I _am _funny. And second of all: Your ship is stuck in a tractor beam. Your being pulled toward the planet as we speak."

"Why on earth would the Chimera be using a tractor beam on me?" Roku asked.

"It's not the Chimera. I'd bet you anything that it's coming from the Grox base down on the planet. Not to long ago they took over our mission headquarters… they would have accesses to tractor beams from there," Arcadia explained.

"So they're pulling me down into an ambush…" Roku realized.

"Yes… _but if you had paid attention in Captain training…_" Arcadia began.

"Oh, shut up! Just do something!" Roku interrupted.

"Ok"

Arcadia closed the video connection, turning back to face his crew.

"Draxus, I'm gonna need a fully operational short-range teleport beam. You don't have much longer before the Tharak enters Phrychous's atmosphere," Arcadia instructed.

"Of course, captain," Draxus responded, promptly beginning to type away furiously on his interface panel.

"Only 20 seconds till' the Tharak passes into the thermosphere…" Gire shouted, "Hurry, Draxus!"

"Calm down! I'm almost done…"

"15 seconds!"

"Shut up!"

"10 seconds!"

"How am I supposed to work with you guys shouting at me!"

There was silence for a moment.

"5 seconds."

"Fine! Got it!" Draxus exclaimed.

A beam of yellow kronon energy shot from the belly of the Comet Wasp. It flew through the battlefield, aiming directly at the Tharak. The moment it contacted the surface the surface, the beam vanished. Moments later, Roku materialized on the flight deck of the Comet Wasp, gasping as he fell to the floor.

He stood himself up, and looked around.

"What did you?"

"I teleported you out," Draxus explained, pointing to the panel he was sitting at.

"No… but wait… NO, you don't understand!" Roku shouted.

"I think we understand perfectly well," Arcadia said, "We just saved you!"

Roku turned to face the captain. He was quite angry at him, and the fact that Arcadia was sitting smugly in his captains chair didn't help. Furious, Roku began to walk slowly towards the balcony that Arcadia was on.

"No!" Roku retaliated, "I wasn't the only one in the Tharak! Do you get it now? There are still people trapped in there!"

"Sorry," Gire said, turning to look at the new captain, "But your ship is well past teleport range now."

"Then we're going to go get them right now!" Roku shouted, looking strait at Arcadia.

"You're not quite the captain of this ship… are you?" Arcadia responded.

There was a tense silence.

"You have no idea what I've been through," Roku said, in a dark tone, "I have reason to believe that both of my comrades are key to the survival of this galaxy, and _you _as well. You know who I am_ - as I know that your biotechnician has been running a scan on me this entire time to confirm my identity_ - so why don't you help me? After all, I don't quite see the survival of this planet to be a likely outcome… so why don't you do one last act of kindness?"

"Very well," Arcadia said, "Gire, Draxus, and Tisep, prepare. We're going down – down into the homeworld. I'm going to lock us on to coordinates 27-98-6, that should put us near, but not next to, the Grox base where the Tharak will arrive. We'll be in the same city, but we'll have to go the rest of the way on foot, as to not risk showing up on their radar."

The three cadets began to quickly work away at their respective jobs, preparing the ship for landing, and preparing themselves for a ground mission.

"Thank you," Roku said, much calmer now.

* * *

"What in the world?"

"Roku just vanished!"

Chase and Maruck sat dumbstruck inside the Tharak, now without a pilot. Just moments ago, Roku had been talking with some 'Captain Arcadia,' but all of the sudden… he vanished. Completely without any explanation.

"Do you know how to pilot this thing?" Chase said, looking at Maruck expectantly.

"There's no harm in trying," Maruck responded, getting out of his seat, and moving to the captain's chair.

Maruck began fiddling with the levers and buttons, hoping for a pleasant outcome. It would be horrible if he set the ship to self-destruct, or something equally bad. Neither of the latter happened. In fact, _nothing _happened.

"Um… Maruck? Aren't you supposed to do something?" Chase asked.

"Yes, that is what normally happens. But I don't have control of the ship anymore. We're being moved by some external force!" Maruck said, looking wildly around the panel for some explanation.

"But what could possibly?..." Chase began, but he stopped, taking notice of the translucent white light that surrounded the Tharak. "Maruck… that light… it's not from a teleport… what is it?"

"Oh no… this is not good."

"Huh?"

"I could recognize that light anywhere. It's from a tractor beam. A field of energized particles that specialize in grabbing spaceships. The pilot of the ship loses control… and the vessel is pulled involuntarily to the source of the beam."

"And the source would be…" Chase said, looking out of the window.

"I have no idea," Maruck admitted.

The Tharak was being drawn closer and closer the Chimera homeworld, with no sign of slowing down; If anything, it was speeding up. They were passing through the lower atmosphere now, and a distinct field of fire was forming along the edges of the Tharak's shield.

"Wow… it's just like in those Sci-Fi movies. I'm not sure if I should be in awe or completely afraid," Chase said, looking around at what he could see of the space ships exterior.

"Both," Maruck said, "Never underestimate any circumstance. One of the first things I learned in captain training."

"Oh come on. Anyone who uses that phrase in an attempt to make themselves look better is ridiculous," Chase stated.

Maruck opened his mouth to retaliate, but closed it when the Tharak burst through a thick layer of clouds above Phrychous. The outline of a city was clearly was visible, and the source of the tractor beam could be seen at last.

It was some sort of facility, not unlike the one on Barx. The exception was the basic shape of the two buildings; the case being that the facility on Phrychous had a large cylinder missing from the center. It looked like a docking bay of some sort, due to the obvious fact that a large "DB" was printed in yellow paint across the metallic surface at the bottom of the missing cylinder. Multiple levels and decks lined the sides of the opening, and figures of creatures could be seen walking around through the sides of the facility.

"This is… this is the Chimera's mission headquarters… its where the captain lands their ship… refuels if necessary… and receives their mission," Maruck explained.

"And what's that giant missing portion?" Chase asked.

"That's where the ship actually _lands_."

The tractor beam was emanating directly from the bottom of the landing site. The Tharak descended past the roof, entering the mysterious depths of the building. The vessel touched down on the large docking bay at the bottom of the landing site, pushing up a small cloud of dust, and letting out a short drone as the engines turned off.

In that instant, utter horror filled Chase and Maruck.

It wasn't Chimera outside. Looking around at the different decks, balconys, and pathways that lined the walls of the landing site, they didn't see any Chimera.

They saw Grox.

And lots of them. We'll… mostly Dronox and Insectrox to be precise, but the point remained…

They were stuck, with no way of getting out of the Tharak without doing whatever it was that the Grox wanted them to do, which could very easily be _die._

"They… they took over this base… and… and they used the tractor beam to pull us down into a trap. What the heck are we supposed to do?" Maruck said, staring at the advancing group of Dronox warriors.

Suddenly, another, normal Grox in stature, forced his way through the wall of Dronox soliders. Despite being short and pathetic looking, he had many more cybernetic implants than the average Grox, giving him a look that all instincts screamed "EVIL."

The Grox opened his mouth and began to speak, "I am Commander Civet of the mighty Grox Empire. You shall stand down. You are surrounded. There is no escape for you."

Both Maruck and Chase could not believe what was happening. Dumbstruck, they didn't respond, and simply waited for Civet to say something again.

"Clever though, that you found out where we were attacking next," Civet said, still staring straight into the Tharak's front window, which was luckily tinted form the outside, "But you'll see that there is nothing you can do now. Simply exit your vessel, and we can negotiate peacefully."

_Yeah right, _Maruck thought.

"I said: exit your vessel! You should not deny the Grox! The Master of the Tesseract commands it! Exit the Tharak! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!"

* * *

_And... yeah! I'm back from my vacation... obviously._

_Thanks for sticking with this story, it's been quite an adventure to write. Remember, reviewing will make me update faster! I know for a fact that the record for most reviews in the Spore archive of this website is 34 (that was set by OnlineScholarProductions's "Acension" story), so let's see if we can break it!_

_EDIT: I fixed a few spelling and grammatical errors in this chapter, as pointed out by AtWarWithGrox. If your reading this, then you shouldn't be able to see them anymore.  
_


	15. A World in Peril

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**15:** A WORLD IN PERIL

* * *

"_This galaxy is complicated and wondrous. Billions of stars orbiting slowly around the allusive galactic center, with wormholes, rips in the continuum, spread across explored space. You cannot predict the vastness of the universe… nor can you fully understand it. It is for this reason that I leave you with this advice: Never underestimate any circumstance." –_Aeron Captain Training Manual

* * *

The circular beam of energy descended from the Comet Wasps extractor beam. The light came in contact with the surface of Phrychous, forming a brilliant white circle, and illuminating the immediate area. First to emerge from the spaceship was Captain Arcadia, slowing descending from belly of his spacecraft, and getting his feet steady on the planet below. He moved out of the way to observe the emergence of his comrades.

Tisep came next, making final adjustments to her medical belt as she too landed on Phrychous, As Gire descended, he was fiddling with his Subspace Message Receiver, but slid it back into his pocket as he moved out of the extractor field. When Draxus emerged, he was adding one last charge to his plasma gun, and slid it into the utility belt around his waste.

The four Chimera examined their surroundings, taking in the sight of the capital city.

Lastly came Roku, urgency evident on his face as he hovered slowly from the bottom of the spacecraft to the surface of the Chimera homeworld.

"Seriously, why do these things go so slow?" Roku asked, clearly impatient at the speed of the extractor beam.

"I believe its to allow an accurate examination of the environment before you actually begin to walk upon the planet itself," Gire explained, "There is still an artificial atmosphere within the beam. If the ships sensors were somehow broken, and the planet was in-hospitable, then you would be able to tell visually, and reverse the beam before you actually are exposed to the planets…"

"Gire."

"Yes?"

"I was being sarcastic," Roku stated, finally stepping out of the beam as it dissolved behind him, "I knew what it was for."

"Ok," Arcadia said, "Enough of this. It's time we made some real progress here."

Roku, along with the four Chimera, turned back to stare upon the landscape before them.

The Comet Wasp was hovering above a natural plateau, which had a gorgeous view of the city ahead. From where they stood now, the team could see almost the entire city, with its towers and intricate streets stretching outwards all the way to a ridge of mountains on the horizon. On this part of the planet, it was mid-day, so the star above was high in the sky.

"And this would be…" Roku said.

"The capital city of Phyrochus, Ixindra," Arcadia responded, "This is where the mission headquarters is based, and where your friends should be."

"Excellent… um…" Roku said, "Lead the way."

Arcadia walked directly to the edge of the plateau, staring over with wide eyes. As mountains, plateaus, and other rock formations surrounded the city, the plateau of which the captains were on was right on the city limits. Looking downwards over the cliff face, Arcadia saw a small residential district, with houses and courtyards.

"We need to get down _there_," Arcadia stated, pointing at the houses below.

"Great, It's been a while since I've done this. Are you guys ready?" Tisep exclaimed.

"Ready for what?" Roku asked, confused.

"Geronimo!" Arcadia shouted, jumping right off of the edge of the plateau.

In awe, Roku sprinted over to the edge as well, shocked, and wondering what had happened to Arcadia. Seconds before the Chimera captain impacted the ground, he activated his glider pack. A jet of electromagnetic energy blasted out from the device on his back, slowing his descent, and allowing him to come to a safe landing.

"Yeah, I thought you might be shocked," Arcadia shouted, turning his body to stare upwards at Roku, "You creatures with wings obviously never needed these things. Do you even know what a glider pack is?"

"I know what it is, Arcadia!" Roku retaliated, "I was just wondering why you decided to just jump right off the edge of a cliff. That would scare anyone!"

During the captains bickering, Tisep, Gire, and Draxus had moved to the edge of the plateau as well. Ignoring Roku and Arcadia, the three of them performed the same feat that their captain had done. After falling for a few seconds, their glider packs blasted on, allowing them to touch the ground with ease.

"Come on Roku," Arcadia said, "You're the last one. We don't have all day."

_That's a gross understatement, _Roku thought, _We don't' even have a few hours._

Sighing, Roku jumped off the plateau as well. Like the four Chimera before him, he fell for a few moments, but before he impacted the ground, he opened his wings, caught the air, and slowed his descent greatly. As his talons touched on the ground below, Roku could have sworn he heard Arcadia mutter something about "_Show off_" to his comrades.

"And now we are?..." Roku asked, examining their new surroundings.

"On the south end of the city, in one of the residential districts. The mission headquarters is on the East side, so we'll have to head northwards first, and then take the first right turn possible," Gire explained.

Roku looked around the residential district. They were standing on a paved street, with a clearly defined line down the center. On either side were large tower structures, organized in groups of three. They were vaguely hexagonal, with a grayish color that had a somewhat broken up texture, similar to rock or stone. The towers were clearly dived into separate levels, each one with its own, circular blue window. The roof was simply flat, and the entrance doorway was between the front two towers.

"Those are the Chimera…" Roku began.

"Apartments, yes," Arcadia finished, "Its where a large portion of the population lives, in structures very similar to these."

The triple apartment complexes were placed in a staggered pattern on either side of the road. Hovering lamp posts and the occasional artificial tree were also present around the residential area. The street below was made of metal, and split off into small tangents near each of the apartment buildings, creating what appeared to be "driveways," or "parking lots."

The area was calm and peaceful, something that was strange to Roku. It didn't take him much longer to figure out what was making him uneasy.

"The Chimera… the residents… the vehicles… everyone… where are they?" Roku asked, noticing the absence of vehicles along the road and in the parking lots.

"As you already know, the Grox claimed this city near the beginning of the battle. Anyone here that _didn't die _was evacuated to the nearest city," Arcadia explained, "Which leads me to my next instruction. _Be careful. _There are bound to be tons of Dronox soldiers patrolling in swarms all around here, searching for any sign of resistance. The Grox want to keep their foothold on the mission headquarters, as it keeps us from communicating efficiently in battle."

"Once again… a completely different strategy…" Roku said, "Why are the grox executing such tactical battle procedures? Why haven't they just launched a planet buster at this rock? Something more is going on here, and _I _am going to figure out what it is."

* * *

"Good gosh, Maruck. I thought being a space captain would be fun, but it seems as if I'm just being taken from one situation of impossible odds, and being thrown into another. Seriously, does this usually happen?" Chase asked.

"Actually, at this point it seems kind of commonplace," Maruck responded, holding back a smile.

Maruck and Chase were chained in the midst of an army of Dronox soldiers. The metal that composed their binding was a near indestructible titanium alloy, so _breaking _the chains was out of the question.

Their attempt to stay within the Tharak had failed… miserably. Civet had ordered a forced decension, and before they knew it, Chase and Maruck were outside the space ship, cowering in the middle of the Grox ambush.

"I'm going to ask one more time," Civet ordered, with absolutely no hesitation in his voice, "Where is Roku?"

"We've told you the truth already," Chase responded, "We don't know. We were in the Tharak above this planet when he just disappeared. Almost as if he was teleported away."

"If you truly don't know, then you fools are expendable anyway. May I remind you that with a flick of my wrist those chains can end the life of every cell in your body simultaneously?" Civet said, looking into their eyes.

"Yes… yes…" Maruck said, "We know. _'And if we run away the chains will kill us automatically if we move more than 10 meters away from you.' _Then there is the fact that they neutralize our alminar abilities. You've told us all this already!"

The chains binding Chase and Maruck were quite similar to handcuffs, in the sense that they… well… cuffed the hands. The difference being that they were much thicker, and a large reinforced rod connected the cuffs. They were stuck, and couldn't run away.

Chase began to observe the surroundings. They had been taken out from the landing bay of the mission headquarters and into another room. It looked like it used to be an office, as broken desks and smashed computers were across the floor. The walls were tan, just like the walls of the research facility on Barx.

Chase looked down at Civet. As he was a _'normal' _Grox (although no Grox was truly normal), he was much shorter than his loyal Dronox and Insectrox followers. The other immense difference was the addition of a large transparent mask that encompassed his entire head. As Civet breathed, Chase could hear the respirator within the machine filtering the air outside.

"I'm guessing he has that respirator…" Chase whispered to Maruck.

"…so he can survive on a T3 planet, yeah. That device has a miniature archon generator in it, allowing him to breathe here." Maruck finished.

"What are you two bickering about?" Civet interrupted, flicking his eyes between Chase and Maruck.

"Nothing much," Maruck responded, "Were just chatting about how the Grox are unable to survive on the planets that _every other _species in the universe thrive on."

Civet looked furious; his expression showing nothing but pure hatred.

Without a second thought, the Grox Commander turned the dial on the remote in his hand. The cuffs the bound Chase and Maruck filled with boiling heat. The metal was red hot, painfully burning the area around their wrists. Chase could've sworn he heard the sizzling of his skin as he bent over in pain. The two captains had collapsed to the floor, with no way to escape the agonizing fire-like heat.

Civet turned the dial back. The burning stopped, but they stayed on the ground in shock.

"Now that I've made my point…" Civet said.

"Why… why did you have to do that?" Chase tried to say, still breathing hard, and trying to stand back up.

"Are you listening to me?," Civet retaliated, raising his voice again, "Do you not see the brilliance of the Grand Master? Do you not see the inevitable end of the multiverse? Can you even comprehend the complexity of the tesseract? You are all foolish. Every last scum that inhabits this galaxy, along with the countless other galaxy's that cling to the feble light of stars… _which die._ I think you'll find that the only smart path you could take now… would be to follow us. Follow us on the glorious path to the power of Agraith!"

"Wait… hold on..." Maruck interrupted.  
"What?"

"Agriath… I've heard that before… what is it?"

Civet began to laugh.

"You pathetic creatures of the light," Civet responded, "He is returning, even now. He waited for an unimaginable amount of time… in the void of darkness. He is the creature of death; The destroyer of all the things we hate. Agriath is the ultimate being!"

"Simmer down!" Maruck interrupted, "I just wanted some information!"

There was tense silence, with Maruck and Civet eyeing each other extensively.

There was a beeping noise coming from Civet's cybernetic arm.

The commander turned away from the captives, with a frustrated _"this-isn't-a-good-time" _look on his face. He pressed down on a small button on his wrist.

"Report," Civet ordered, obviously talking through a radio.

Civet said nothing as he listened to the response.

"Very well," he said at last, "The captives will be delivered immediately."

"Wait… wait… what?" Maruck stammered, worried about what was in store for them.

"It's time to go. We have an appointment for you two, and we don't want to be late," Civet said, now facing the captains again.

"But where are we going?" Chase asked.

"To meet an old friend of yours. It's time you guys had a little talk," Civet said, with an eerie compassionate tone, which quickly dissipated. "Dronox Zeta-3, prepare the Razor Tram! Set the destination for the Chimera transmitter, and make it quick!"

"Yes, my commander," the solider responded, marching out of the room and down a separate hallway.

"For the rest of you," Civet continued, gesturing to the rest of the Dronox, "Keep this building secure. But for now, help me escort these vermin to the tram."

The Dronox nearest to Chase and Maruck roughly grasped a hold of them. They tried to struggle, but the cuffs around their wrists prevented them from doing anything even remotely threatening.

The soldiers began to force the two out of the room, following close behind Civet, who was leading the way.  
"Let us go!" Chase exclaimed, trying to escape from the grasp of the particularly large Dronox who was restraining him, and failing.

"Do not attempt to struggle," Civet said, not even turning around to face them, "You'll find this process will be much easier if you do not resist. Just give in to the power of the Grand Master, and he will show mercy."

"No he won't!" Chase exclaimed, still hopelessly trying to escape, "I've seen him! He tried to kill us! And we barely escaped! Your stupid master isn't what you think he is!"

Civet spun around and shouted, "You've stared upon the omnipotent form of the Grand Master! What blasphemy have you committed? You creatures of utter corruption! Foul, undeserving, unthoughtful, scum that just happen to be clinging to existence! I would kill you right now, but I have orders to escort you. Follow my clear instructions and enter silence! No more comments against our god, or I _will _vaporize you on the spot! Now then, the first thing you can do to attain repentance would be to peacefully follow my escort. I command it!"

* * *

"I'm surprised you haven't asked yet," Arcadia said.

"About what?" Roku asked.

"My skin color."

Roku observed what he had put aside since the moment he arrived; The undeniable difference between Arcadia and his comrades. His skin was a colorless grey, as opposed to his crew's vibrant green.

"Well… yeah… I've heard stories of Chimera lore, where the most famous leaders of your species had a mono-chromatic skin tone," Roku said, looking up at Arcadia.

"That's only the beginning," Arcadia said.

"Yeah," Draxus commented, "While most Chimera have a green hide, our captain has a _gray _skin color."

"Isn't it a genetic disorder? Like albinism?" Roku asked, with an inquisitive look.

"Somewhat," Arcadia explained, "But most empires miss the rest of the story. Those like myself, with the color mutation, are usually rushed through captain training, space craft piloting, battle tactics, and combat skills, for they believe I am destined for greatness."

"Well you clearly pulled that off."

"Thanks, but I truly had no real choice in my career. While I enjoy where I am now, I could never have dreamed of choosing anything else," Arcadia explained.

"And what am I supposed to do about that?" Roku said, looking at Arcadia with his eyes raised.

"Nothing. I am Captain Arcadia of the Chimera Empire, an if there is one thing that I've learned from all of my travels its…"

"Don't say it."

"You don't even know _what_ I was gonna to say?"

"Trust me I do," Roku said, smiling now, "_Never underestimate any circumstance._"

"Ha, wow. They really did drill that into us back in captain training."

"Yes they did."

The crew continued walking through the streets of the Chimera capital in silence. At least, that was until they passed by a particular interesting public pool.

"Agh, here we are," Tisep said, changing the topic, "I used to play in these all the time as a kid."

"And this would be…" Roku said.

"A Bubble Pool, as we call it," Tisep explained, "Just a form of entertainment. It's unfortunately quite eerie due to the absence of... well… everyone."

The Pool was circular, with an anti-gravity roof hovering above it. The roof had small lights and fans hanging from it, providing a nice artificial environment where the residents could swim. The tile that formed the entire structure was like the stone of the Chimera apartments, differing in the fact that it was smooth and polished. The water in the pool was crystal blue, and perfectly still due to the absence of the citizens.

"Hide, NOW!" Arcadia exclaimed, dashing behind the nearest building. The other four captains followed suit, jumping behind Arcadia, wondering why he had suddenly reacted the way he had.

It quickly became clear to them.

As they peaked out from around the buildings corner, they saw a squadron of Dronox, marching down the main road ahead. They were passing by on the other side of the bubble pool; The same one they had been discussing only moments earlier. If they had been dawdling on it for even a few more seconds…

"Let's see… ten medium sized Dronox troops," Arcadia said, observing the enemies.

"Don't forget the Insectrox backup," Draxus pointed out, taking notice of the creature as it emerged from behind the bubble pool.

"Ok, this is ridiculous," Roku said, stepping out from behind the building, "I can take these guys on."

"Wait, Roku… what are you?" Gire exclaimed, "You can't possibly…"

"Come on then!" Roku shouted, waving his arms wildly, and jumping back and fourth in the middle of the street, "It's me! The one your searching for, remember? Does Captain Roku ring any bells?"

"Roku what are you?" Tisep said to the strange captain, a look of complete awe on her face.

Roku ignored Tisep and continued to shout, "It's me. Come on!"

The Dronox spun around, looking for the source of the commotion. They spotted the lone Tharian waving wildly in the street ahead. They seemed to talk amongst themselves before speeding off towards Roku. They knew who he was, and they all wanted the glory of presenting his dead body to their commander.

"Ok here we go," Roku said, but in a much more hushed tone that only his comrades could hear.

The Dronox were running as fast as their legs could carry them, trying to take the fastest route possible. It was for this reason that they passed right through the bubble pool, dodging around the edge of the water on the way to their target.

_Perfect, _Roku thought.

He raised his arms, concentrating with all his might on the modules that powered the bubble pool's anti-gravity roof. He could feel the hypnomelder energy within him building up - he knew he could do this. With his entire mind, he willed the modules to collapse… to break. His eyes were squinted shut as he concentrated on destroying something nearly 20 feet away. All of him was focused on the modules.

He heard it work before he even opened his eyes.

The anti-gravity modules above the Bubble Pool failed, causing the hovering roof to drop. The Dronox didn't even have time to react. The entire thick, metal roof dropped form where it was and _smashed_ the soldiers against the tiled floor. A loud metal against metal _SMASH _reverberated in the Chimera plaza.

The once hovering roof was sparking now, obviously damaged from the way Roku had interfered.

"Wow," Draxus said, stepping out from behind the building, clearly impressed.

"How in the world did you do that?" Arcaida asked, stunned by Roku's ability, "Was that some kind of telekinesis."

"Indeed. Long story; maybe I'll tell it to you some other day when are lives aren't in danger," Roku responded.

"Like _that _will ever happen," Arcadia joked.

* * *

"Move along!" a Dronox ordered, prodding Chase and Maruck painfully in the back with a metal rod.

The captives had a blindfold on, obscuring their vision. They had no idea where they were.

From what they could remember, the Grox had taken them to a tram, forced them into it, blindfolded them, and escorted them somewhere. They presumed the use of the Chimera tram was due to the short-range teleport nullifier, but they were still quite uncomfortable when stuck in a train-like transport vehicle with a bunch of unimaginably evil creatures.

Then, they were then taken out of the tram, and forced to walk along a stone pathway, _still with their blindfold on._ (Well… at least it was the closest thing to a blindfold that the Grox had. It was really a collection of nanites that could size themselves to any aliens skull and adjust to covet their eyes.)

Whatever the case, they were completely oblivious to their surroundings. The Dronox behind them were forcing their cooperation, not to mention the ever-present threat of the death-cuffs that were around their wrists. They had no other option but following Civet's orders.

"Agh, at last they arrive!" a strange voice said. The voice made Chase cringe. He had heard it before. It wasn't the Grand Master; it wasn't anything recent, but he knew it was in his memory; something important.

"So Chase, you're a space captain now. Glad to see you finally did something useful with your life," the voice continued to say.

"The intruders are here as you requested," Civet said.

"Of course. Good job, you may leave now."

"May I remind you that the prisoners may not escape. They must either die… or be returned to me," Civet explained.  
"I know the protocol Civet. We all do. Now, if you'll just excuse me, I need to spend some time with these two."

"Of course."

And with that, Chase and Maruck heard a large shuffling of feet, as Civet and his army of Dronox soldiers exited wherever they were. They heard some sort of large mechanical door open, and a few seconds later, close again.

There was a long silence.

"I'm sad that you don't recognize me, Chase," the voice continued, "Am I not that significant in your life?"

"I'm also _wearing a blindfold," _Chase said, quite frustrated with this un-thoughtful person.

"Indeed, and now you shall witness what you left behind so many years ago. You cannot escape me Chase. This will be my final revenge - the Grox gave me the strength to do that."

Moments later, the blindfolds disintegrated.

Chase shook his head, trying to focus as light rushed into his retina.

He turned his head to face the voice, and gasped.

Before him was a _human,_ one of the only humans that had ever had _any_ significant effect of his life.

_He cannot be here! _Chase thought, _This is not possible!_

"We'll we meet again," the human said, "It's been quite a while, little brother."

* * *

_And there's chapter 15! Thank you guys so much for all of your wonderful reviews, it has really helped me improve and continue writing this story. This is such a great site to work on your writing skills, and I can't wait to see what you guys have to say about this chapter. Seeya' next chapter!_

_-njkilleen_


	16. Unsettled Conflict

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**16:** UNSETTLED CONFLICT

* * *

_ "The Grox prevent us from shining the light of Spode on the center of the galaxy. On the Day of Reckoning, we shall destroy them in Spode's holy name!" –Scrolls of Faith_

_

* * *

_

"_No… no, no, NO! It's not possible!"_

"_Really?"_

"_I spent my life as far away from you as possible! I became more successful than you ever were!" How can you be here?"_

"_By the will of the God that will come… he has shown me the way."_

"_Cut the nonsense! I've spent every fiber of my life running from you! I thought I had succeeded when Roku arrived… he took me farther away than I had ever been…"_

"_Oh, just SHUT UP!"_

Chase stopped bickering, but remained tense, still trying to grasp the complexity of the situation.

"Chase… who is this?" Maruck asked calmly, using the silence to his advantage. Chase took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions down.

"The one who made me who I am… my older brother, Alan," he responded, not taking his eyes off the figure before him, "He's four years older than me, and the last person I ever thought I'd find here."

"Oh I was more than his older brother…" Alan explained, stepping forward a little, "I was his trusted advisor. I taught him _everything_ he knows."

"I don't care about that anymore! Don't you realize!" Chase exclaimed, "I've moved on!"

"And yet… it seems… no matter how far you go… I've still found you," Alan responded, with a cold, non-emotional voice.

No one spoke. The two captains just stared upon the human, who had a sinister grin across his face, and a strange arrogance about the way he stood. Alan looked quite similar to Chase, with brown hair, fare skin, and green eyes. He was notably older than Chase, with more developed muscle, and a 6 foot frame. His clothing was what would be considered perfectly normal Earth apparel – blue jeans, and a t-shirt – but something wasn't right…

"Just look around," Alan said, breaking the silence, "Your on the top floor of the Chimera Grand Tree, _on _the homeworld, Phrychous, of that very same empire, circling a star located half the length of the galaxy from Earth. And yet… here I am."

Chase stuttered, and examined his surroundings for the first time. He still had no idea where he was.

The room was strange, with no walls in the sense that Chase knew them. They were… wooden, with obvious portions that were purely organic. What was the name of the place again? Grand Tree? It seemed to live up to the name. There were pieces of obvious space-age technology embedded into the wood of the walls and floor. Iris doors and energy lamps were installed into the walls, and large couches were connected to the surface below them.

Behind Alan was a long wooden desk, that had a computer monitor and papers lying scattered surreptitiously around the top.

Looking upwards, Chase was surprised to see that there was _no _roof. In fact, in certain areas, the edges where the walls _should_ have connected to the roof curved and spread outward, forming what appeared to be _branches._ The branches went on to connect to massively sized leaves that hovered above the room in a curved canopy shape. The branches were the only things supporting the large canopy of leaves.

"What in the world?" Chase stated, dumbfounded by their location, "What is this place?"

"The Chimera town hall," Alan explained, "Known to some as the _'Grand Tree.' _A perfect combination of biological and technological engineering; This entire building was literally _grown_. It's all one unit… so a Grand Tree 'seed' would have the different floors, lights, rooms, and furniture compacted and ready to be constructed. Similar to a colony pack, once activated, the seed will explode into a full building."

"What?" Maruck interrupted, "How can you know all this?"

"I know quite a bit, actually," Alan retaliated, eyeing Maruck with a look of frustration, "As I was saying… This room is the mayor's office. It's where he spends most of his job, and as such… he gets the nicest view." Alan gestured upwards, towards the canopy of leaves and branches.

"So… wait. If this is a giant hollow tree… then this room is right on the top of the 'trunk'… with an opening that lets you see the many branches," Chase realized, in awe at the architecture.

"Indeed, the Chimera spent a long time designing the Grand Tree. But… the best part has yet to come," Alan explained, sidestepping over to a control panel on one of the wooden walls.

"What are you doing?" Maruck asked, trying to move forward to stop Alan, but being quickly reminded that he was still chained within the death-cuffs.

"Calm down… I just want you to see something," Alan said reaching for the panel on the wall.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Chase shouted, scared as to what Alan could have in store.

"Just watch this," Alan said, with an eerily calm tone, as he lifted the panel upward, revealing a metallic lever. It had a red grip on the end, with text printed on the side that was too far away for Chase to read. Alan pulled down on the large lever, causing it to make distinct clicking noise as it switched positions.

A series of increasingly loud sliding and clicking noises followed, similar to a gear… or a set of gears as it began to speed up. The sounds grew even louder, reaching the point where they were emanating from the floor, the walls, and everywhere they could see.

"What did you do?" Chase exclaimed, spinning around in a desperate attempt to find the source of the noise.

Alan exhibited little effort as he raised his right index finger, pointing to the canopy above them.

The leaves were _moving; _sliding out of the way as a large pulley system dragged them into position. Directly above them, a hole was being formed. A place where no leaves currently were – a view with no obstruction. A large circular opening was now present in the canopy above the mayor's office, through which the captains could see the Phrychous sky.

The clicking died down, and the leaves stopped moving.

They could see that the sky was growing dim, meaning that it was almost dusk, and that night was quickly approaching.

But the thing that really amazed them, was the battle.

"Oh no…" Maruck said, looking upwards, "The battle between the Chimera and Grox ships isn't just in the upper atmosphere anymore… in fact… its not even a few miles above us."

Maruck was quite right. The Grox were pushing forward, forcing the Chimera into submission. Skirmishes between Grox and Chimera raider vessels were happening everywhere they looked, and it wasn't pretty… it was clear who was winning…

The flagship was still high in the sky, but much closer now. It was no longer just a speck off in the distance; It's shape and form were clearly defined, along with its deadly potential. Combine that with the fact that the sun was no longer blurring their view of the battle, and the sight of this entire scene only amplified the hopelessness of the Chimera homeworld.

_Wait… _Chase thought.

"Hold on!" Chase exclaimed, "How did you manage to do this?"

"Do what?" Alan asked, with mock confusion.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Chase retaliated, "Not even a few moments ago I was incredibly furious at your presence here! And then… all of the sudden… you have us distracted with the architecture of the building and the battle above us… I'm not stupid enough to let my guard down like that… unless… no… You can't have it!"

"Oh… guilty as charged," Alan said, laughing, and reaching into his pocket, "Here it is… your little wave bender." The device in Alan's hand was small, flat, and oval shaped. It was composed of a dark metal, and was covered in flickering lights, each connected by small wires. The whole object was pulsing a yellowish color. It was strangely foreboding… it was as if instinct was telling Maruck and Chase to _not look _at the strange piece of technology.

"Chase… what is that?" Maruck asked.

"Why don't you tell him the entire story," Alan remarked, "I'm sure he'd be interested."

Chase didn't speak. He stared at his brother, hating the smug look on his face. The war above them continued to rage on; adding a deathly ambience in the background. There was no doubt… the Chimera were losing.

"Go on," Alan said.

"First… Maruck, you need to know that I never really… knew my parents," Chase began, with a tone of one revealing something they had kept a secret for a long time, "Knowledge of them was erased from my mind… thanks to the government of my world. I don't even know their names… I just knew… that they did something… something that upset the nation's deep secrets… and so… there gone. I can't remember anything about them. Me and my brother were released to an orphanage… I was only 9 at the time… him being 12… and we lived there for a while… but then… then…"

"We came across the wave bender," Alan interrupted.

"No we didn't; we stole it!" Chase exclaimed, "It was in the museum in the town we lived in… and we thought it looked cool… so for the first… but _certainly_ not the last time in my life… I was a thief."

"Clearly alien technology, though," Maruck said, looking at Chase, who had his head down, "But you were just kids… how did you successfully get out of that museum?"

"That's the beauty of the wave bender!" Alan said, "It's creates an invisible field around the wearer, bending the thought waves of life forms around it. It doesn't make the wearer invisible… it makes them _insignificant._ Nobody dared to double check us as we walked out the museum front door."

"That's how we were distracted by all the other things around here… the architecture… the battle above… Alan has the wave bender," Chase explained.

"Of course… it took us a while to learn how it worked…" Alan explained, clenching the wave bender in his hand, "but once we found out… we knew we didn't have to stay in that orphanage any more… we could do anything we wanted to… and no one would care."

"And so… we became thieves… the most renown thieves the world had ever known. No one truly knew _how _we were able to be so successful at what we did, but it was all thanks to the wave bender. It allowed us to be the perfect thieves," Chase explained, "But then… we wanted more. We wanted to know what had happened to our parents… so we tried to steal from the 'nonexistent' Area 51. And… we… we succeeded. I got my hands on this." Chase pointed to the short-range teleporter around his wrist, which was currently un-usable, thanks to the cuffs _and_ the Chimera's teleport nullifier.

"Yes, yes, but our parents weren't there! It was a failed mission," Alan said, "I wanted to do more, but Chase here was too chicken to follow through!"

"Are you kidding?" Chase retaliated, "Your idea was _insane!_ You wanted to kill the president!"

"So what did you do?" Maruck asked.

"I ran… I used the teleporter to get as far away from this mad-man as I possibly could," Chase said, "I continued stealing for the adventure, and so that I would have something to live on before I could get a job… but I was constantly worried that Alan would follow through with his plan… and there was only one thing I could do… to be _sure_ that he couldn't succeed."

"And that would be…"

"Show the entire world the truth behind government conspiracies. If people were to know what was really happening, than the entire system of our world leadership would change, and Alan's attempt to kill the president would be pointless."

"And it worked… didn't it… but that was the same day that the Roku and the Grox arrived… wasn't it?" Maruck asked, now piecing together the previously loose ends on the story of Chase's past.

"Indeed… but one thing remains unexplained…" Chase said, standing fully up, and staring right at his brother, "How are YOU here? All the way across the galaxy!"

"I suppose that does deserve some explanation…" Alan said, beginning to pace back and forth across the office, "After you left Earth to go on your little _'adventure,'_ the government was in chaos. The people quite rightfully demanded an explanation for the strange events. In order to do so, the government had to reveal all of the secrets it had been keeping for nearly 200 years… something they _really _didn't want to do. Of course… the entire combined population of the planet was enough to finally force the world leaders to talk."

"Just like I thought," Chase said, smiling, "My plan worked."

"I guess it did, but you never took into account what happened next," Alan continued, "The Grox returned… but not to conquer us. In fact, their ship didn't even descend past the atmosphere. They teleported a land recruit down to where I was staying… a small hotel in California… and gave me an offer. As long as I offered my services to them, they would take me to get my revenge on you, Chase."  
"What?" Chase shouted back, "I understand that you might have been mad for how I ruined your plan… but you never wanted _revenge._ What in the world is wrong with you?"

"Oh… Chase. Agriath has shown me the way… and it is the _only_ truth. The void shall overcome all of reality, and every flicker of light will be cast into the shadows. You are just clinging to hopelessness, blaspheming my god with every moment of your existence. I can stand it no longer!"

"Oh my…" Maruck said, astounded, "Whatever consciousness is controlling the Grox has taken over your brother as well…"

Alan stopped pacing, and began to move towards Chase at an undesirable speed. He was cracking his knuckles, and rubbing his hands together. He stopped, not even three feet away, and looked at Chase with an expression of rage.

"Alan stop," Chase said, "This is ridiculous. What do you plan on doing anyway?"

"Giving you a fair fight," Alan said, reaching for a button on his belt. After a second or two of fiddling the device, the death-cuffs around Chase's wrists released, offering Chase instant freedom from the constant constraint.

Chase rubbed the sore, red area around his wrists, trying to ease the pain away.

"Maruck, you might want to step back…" Alan commanded, "It's not like your presence is going to benefit your friend in any way."

"What are you going to do?" Maruck asked, hesitantly stepping back until he was next to the organic wall.

"Finish our conflict, and prove my loyalty to the god that will come."

"You wish…" Chase muttered, his head turned towards the floor.

In one quick motion, Chase snapped upright, pulling his right arm behind his back. A burning flame erupted above his palm, blasting into existence. As if rehearsed, Chase brought the arm forward, directing his hand at the distinct form of his brother.

The flame exploded into a pillar of fire, extending from his palm in one straight line. The blast of plasma was directed right at Alan's face, which rather quickly sported an expression of fear. At the last possible second, Alan dodged to the left, barley missing the beam of heat. It rocked through the air, continuing out for a few meters before eventually dissipating.

Chase stood still, his arms still extended, in awe. Alan had just dodged one of Chase's most powerful attacks… like it was nothing.

"Wow, Chase," Alan said, repositioning his feet so he could stand upright again, "I never knew you had it in you to attack me like that. Bravo… but I must say, you might want to practice your aim for next time."

"How… how…"

"Your not the only one who has been training to fight. The Grox taught me a few tricks as well."

Chase spun around, emitting yet another blast of plasma, this time right at Alan's chest. To his amazement, Alan jumped to the right, dodging the fire like it was commonplace.

"Your also not the only one to have _that_ ability," Alan said, holding up his arms. Flames identical to the ones that Chase could create sparked into life above Alan's extended palms. When he dropped his arms, the flames remained in place, hovering in mid air. By Alan's command, the flames began to swirl around his body, moving in quick circles, similar to a comet orbiting a star. Alan had complete control of the fire he generated.

"You see… the Grox have quite a large supply of Alminar Gas… and they were perfectly fine with sparing a bit on me… to give me the powers that I have now," Alan explained, "Fire manipulation, given to me by absorbing the core of Jump Jet… just like you Chase. Perhaps it's fate… or maybe the Grand Master just knew… but whatever the case… its time for me to finish what I always desired."

With an evil grimace, Alan took another step towards Chase.

"Now… what?" Chase stated, "You never wanted to kill me… I was your partner for 3 years! What are you doing? Or is it just that the Grand Master, whoever he is, has poisoned your mind."

"He opened up my senses! I only see the truth now!" Alan retaliated.

"Right… because darkness is the fate of everything… yeah, yeah, yeah… I've been through this rig-a-ma-roll," Chase said, "Just answer me this: Is the real Alan still there? Are you suppressing his consciousness, or have you completely destroyed it?..."

Alan remained silent. He gave no answer, and remained ominously quiet.

"It matters not," he said eventually, "For you will die before you can even decide if you wan to fight back."

With that, Alan thrust his right arm forward, clenching his hand into a fist, with one of the flames following suit. Commanded by Alan's tesseract ability, the flame expanded into a beam of plasma, which flew from its position around Alan to the expression of awe on Chase's face.

Chase dropped to the floor, gasping as the blazing fire column singed the tip of his hair.

Alan was laughing, which made Chase frustrated. He did take note that he must have looked ridiculous, falling to the floor, and now trying to stand back up.

Alan thrust his left arm forward, and the same predictable attack occurred. The second spinning flame exploded into a beam of plasma, streaking through the air towards Chase.

This time… Chase was ready.

Chase held up both of his own arms, hoping to dear god that this would work. If it didn't… then the burning flame was on a collision course with his heart.

The flame stopped.

The crackling plasma collapsed into the original flame, floating inches in front of Chase's arms.

"It worked," Chase said, astonished, "I can manipulate your fire as well!"

"Chase! Look out!" Maruck shouted, trying desperately to get his attention.

Lowering his arms, Chase saw that Alan had sidestepped to the left at least ten feet, and was now preparing to attack Chase from the side.

A particular large stream of fire erupted from Alan's hands, spreading out towards Chase. Surprised, he got his feet ready to do perform his next act.

He threw both of his arms out on either side of his body, almost as if he was preparing to give a hug. Just as the fire approached, Chase willed with his mind for it to be condensed.

In a glorious funneling of energy, the blast of fire swirled and slowed as it approached Chase. It was slowly compressed, all of the flames being pulled to one spot just feet in front of Chase's chest. He began to close his arms, forcing the incredible amount of heat energy into one condensed sphere.

"Wha…." Maruck said, in awe at the power at which Chase was exhibiting.

"Your… not the only one… who's been practicing…" Chase gasped, panting as he used all of his energy to perform the incredible feat.

Alan was glaring at Chase, clearly unpleased with what he'd accomplished.

"Now… you'll see… that it _is_ possible to escape your past…" Chase continued, moving his arms to position the plasma sphere near his side, "I am no longer a thief… I am a hero… and I know that I have a destiny… and as far as I can tell… _you're not part of it._"

Chase snapped his arms forward, releasing the incredible heat energy compressed between his hands. The energy escaped in a beam of pure plasma, radiating incredible amounts of thermal power as it shot across the mayor's office.

Alan's eyes were wide. If one had any longer to view the situation, they might have said that Alan's eyes showed fear. The next few moments, however, did not support that.

Alan, almost instinctively, brought his forearm up to stop the attack in a classic karate block position. With all of his power, the older sibling redirected the bolt of fire. Just as it was about to incinerate his entire body, it curved and shot upward. All of the thermal energy was forced away from its intended target, spiraling upwards towards the massive canopy.

"No!" Maruck shouted, "What have you done?"

Chase came to realize that their battle had some rather nasty side effects. The blast of plasma collided with one of the flammable leaves in the canopy above.

The leaves burst into flames.

And the fire spread. The flames and embers jumped from one leaf to the next… until… before they knew it, half of the Grand Tree's canopy was on fire.

Alan ran forward, taking notice of the leaf directly above him. It was coming lose… and it began to fall, burning as it fell through the nonexistent office roof, and onto the equally flammable floor.

As if it were some kind of action movie, Alan was slowly walking towards Chase as the flaming leaf smashed into the floor behind him. A wall of flames erupted behind the older brother as the wooden floor gave into the heat.

The entire building was falling apart. The Chimera didn't design it to be fire-resistant, a serious flaw in the design. The fire on the far end of the office was slowly moving towards Chase and Maruck, who were sliding their way to the wall farthest wall from the raging flames. Their backs were quite literally against the wall, and they couldn't believe the damage they had ensued.

Chase slid to the ground, tired and drained of energy. His attack had used everything that he had, and so now, he could barely stand up.

"How did you block that…" Chase asked Alan, who was standing a few feet away, looking down at his brother, "That was raw… condensed plasma."

"I am given strength by the god who will come. You seem to have rejected his word, and so now… you shall burn to death on an alien world, and your soul be sent to wander the Dark Hollow for all eternity."

"What? But how are you escaping this?"

Alan smiled.

"With the last word you shall ever hear. Ascend."

A pillar of light extended from a Grox raider vessel. Chase just now took notice of the ship hovering over the burning and crumbling canopy. The armed-to-the-teeth vessel was lifting Alan from his position in the mayor's office, and into the ship's mysterious depths.

"NO!" Chase exclaimed.

But he was out of luck. Alan was gone, and the Grox ship was flying off to continue its battle against the Chimera.

Here he was, stuck in the Chimera Grand Tree, as it burned to the ground. The fire was getting closer and closer, giving Chase and Maruck a maximum of less than a minute to live. That was, of course, assuming that no more burning leaves fell into the now destroyed office.

"I'm sorry Maruck," Chase said, "I did this."

"Now listen Chase," Maruck said, walking over to where Chase was sitting, "You need to know this before… All planets go through a civilization stage, which almost always includes a corrupt government of some kind, wishing to understand the impossible wonders of the universe, and therefore is distracted, and no longer focuses on the well being of the citizens. Your world is no different, but the one thing that you can change… is _you. You_ can allow natural things to affect you, or _you_ can just make sure your prepared for everything; That you always have a response to any situation. Can you image the implications of this? It's a virtue that's been at the heart of all space captains, written down by the legendary Stekvan so many years ago. Our situation may seem hopeless, but the world is too complex for a single possibility. Do you know what the virtue is?"

"Never underestimate any circumstance."

* * *

_Yet again... another seemingly hopeless situation for our heroes! How will it be resolved? Tune into chapter 17 whenever it comes out! It will be the epic conclusion of the Phrychous battle... I think._

_Anyway, since I suck at drawing myself, if any of my readers consider themselves remotely talented in the field of drawing, then don't hesitate to draw something for this story! I would VERY MUCH appreciate it! If you want to draw any character/scene then just email me at njkilleen (at) gmail (dot) com, and I'll give you a long description for any character/scene that you desire (that is of course, if you even need that). Also, for ease of things, my deviantART account is "njkilleen" as well, if you wish to communicate that way. Anything that I receive will be posted via link on my profile, and referenced in each chapter!_

_Thanks for reading a review everyone! And special thanks to AtWarWithGrox for letting me use his Chimera Empire. :)_


	17. Doomsday

_NOTE: Special thanks to deathshowlshe-wolf for drawing an awesome picture of Roku. Due to the nature of the way this website allows links, I can't really create one in a chapter of a story. If you would like to view the awesome picture, head over to my profile and click on the link there!_

**

* * *

**

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**17:** DOOMSDAY

* * *

"But that's just it!" Chase retaliated, "You can't _always_ be prepared for everything! And here we are, stuck in a situation that I didn't even imagine occurring, and your blabbing on about how we _could have _seen this coming! Seriously, its ridiculous! I don't care how much captain training you've been through, it doesn't make sense!"

"That's not the point, Chase," Maruck responded, "Your assuming that the outcome of this situation is our death."

"But still… we would need a miracle. _Do you realize where we are?"_

The temperature was increasing rapidly, and the fire was drawing closer.

"The universe is so big… so immensely impossible… sometimes miracles just happen."

Chase just stayed where he was. He couldn't believe the calmness that Maruck had. They were about to die! How could anyone remain so peaceful?

"_I could do with a miracle right about now."_

A strange disturbance filled the air.

As if on command, a light burst into existence, glowing and flickering between Maruck and Chase. As it warped and shifted, it took a rather familiar form. The light died down, and Captain Roku materialized in its place.

"Wha…" Chase stuttered.

Never before had the form of that bird-creature been such amazing thing to see. Chase and Maruck had no idea how and why this was happening, but they had little reason to stay and find out.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Maruck said, almost sarcastically.

"Listen, we don't have much time! I only have a few seconds left before were _all_ stuck here! The situation is much bigger than we thought! Come on!" Roku commanded, grabbing hold of Chase and Maruck's arms. Once they were both off the ground, Roku slammed down on the short-range teleport, causing them to disappear in a bright whirl of kronon energy.

_They had been rescued._

_

* * *

_

_10 minutes earlier…_

"Ok…" Arcadia instructed, "Remember the strategy… the entrance is at 12 o'clock… Roku, you take out the Insectrox at 2 o'clock… Draxus, you focus on the Dronox at 6… Gire, you and me will hold off the swarm of Mites coming from 10 o'clock… and Tisep, you make sure we don't die. Keep that super-inivgorator running at full capacity. You guys got it?"

"Yep."

"Pulse cannon primed."

"Of course."

"I'm a girl."

Arcadia, Roku, and the three cadets were hidden, masked by their stealth fields, in the center of another Chimera plaza. In front of them was the large metal entrance to the Chimera mission headquarters, engraved with intricate portraits of famous heroes from ancient Chimera lore. Streets split off from the plaza at the 2, 6, and 10 o'clock positions, meaning the cadets were completely surrounded. Grox soldiers were split up, each group positioned at the start of a different road, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their target from down one of the three possible streets. Unbeknownst to them, the enemy had already slipped right past, and was now discussing their next move behind their backs. The captains were squatting next to a fountain in the center of the plaza, which was currently broken, pouring buckets of water into the street on the other side. The stealth field kept them invisible, but in order to get into the headquarters, they needed time to bypass the doors security systems, and being surrounded by a squadron of Dronox didn't help. They needed a strategy.

The towering rectangular building was casting a long shadow over Arcadia and his crew. It was nearly night, so the sun was descending past the horizon, creating an eerie twilight feeling. The sunset was off to the west, directly behind them, and was astonishingly beautiful. The clouds were lit up with diverse colors, as the light from the sun twisted and changed into brilliant shades of orange.

Phrychous must be a beautiful place… _normally._

Now the sky was lit up with the struggle for the entire planets existence. The Chimera were fighting back for their lives, and the lives of everyone they knew. They _couldn't_ afford to let the Grox win.

Countless vessels were exploding;

Countless Chimera were dyeing;

Countless forever unknown heroes were being vaporized instantaneously;

And zero Grox were losing.

This was all taking place above the heads of Roku and Arcadia, who were forcing themselves not to look upward at the terrifying, and clearly inevitable sight. This planet's life was being cut short.

The Grox were winning.

"Ready?" Arcadia asked one last time.

"Yes."

"On my mark… 3… 2… 1… MARK!" Arcadia commanded, jumping out from behind the fountain and springing into action.

All of them deactivated their stealth fields at once. In an instant, they sprinted in their designated directions, not faltering a second to reconsider. They had a destination, _and they would reach it._

Draxus was the first to get behind his assigned targets. The squadron of 5 Dronox were completely unaware of his presence… well… right up until _incinerated_ the one on the far left, compliments of his plasma pulser.

The other four were shocked by the attack, instantly turning on the spot to face the enemy Chimera. They were quite angry, and frustrated that they had underestimated the captains methods of entering the plaza. Draxus had a large smirk on his face, and was trying as hard as he could not to laugh out loud.

One of the Dronox issued a resounding battle cry. A shriek which echoed off the many buildings lining the large plaza. _Every_ other warrior, Dronox, Insectrox, and Mites alike, responded to the sudden alarm. They knew something was happening.

They were alert.

"Dang.." Draxus said, "Now why do you have to do that?"

Not waiting another millisecond, Draxus fired the pulser at the solider on the other end of the line. As before, the unsuspecting warrior was completely disintegrated.

"Aah!" Draxus exclaimed, dodge-rolling to the right as a particularly beefy Dronox blasted a missile in his direction.

"Oh no you don't!"

Draxus activated his own missile flinger. He grinned as he felt the device on his shoulder rumble to life. The humming died down, and a defining 'click' signaled that it was ready.

"Now for some fun."

The large, powerful missle exploded out of the barrel, rocketing towards the remaining Dronox. They cowered as the ensuing explosion blew them apart, killing them instantly, and destroying a good portion of the street as well.

Arcadia and Gire reached their destination in the same moment, but with a different effect.

"Oh Draxus… always the clumsy one," Gire muttered, as the mites they were _supposed _to stealth destroy began to race towards them.

The rhythmic beating of the bomb atop the mites' back send a shiver down Arcadia's spine. These creatures sacrificed themselves for what they believed was their 'God…' what kind of sick race are the Grox anyway?

Arcadia and Gire were forced to back up. The group of mites was at least 15 strong. There was no way their shields would withstand that much explosive force. Arcadia activated his freeze bracelet, trying desperately to hold off the incoming onslaught. He froze the mites one by one… but it wasn't working fast enough.

"No!" Arcadia shouted, "This thing operates too slow! Why is the cool-down so atrociously long?"

Each time he managed to freeze another Mite, a previously frozen one would break free. Their plan wasn't working. The beeping was getting faster. They didn't have much time left.

"And… NOW!" Gire exclaimed.

An explosion occurred in the exact center of the Mite swarm. It caused an exponential cascade; as each of the mites directly next to the explosion were forced to detonate, the ones next to them were destroyed as well… and on… and on… until none were left.

Only the bodies of the incinerated Mite cyborgs remained.

"What… what was that?" Arcadia asked, staring at Gire, clearly amused.

"A remote bomb. I placed it when we were first entering the plaza. I thought it might be useful at a later time," Gire explained.  
"Well… it was."

"Obviously."

At the same time this battle had occurred, Roku reached the beginning of the 10 o'clock street. The Insectrox there were already marching towards the Tharian, baring their claws… ready to attack.

The first one pounced, descending in an arc towards the captain. Just as it was about to collide with his body, Roku extended the poison blade on his arm.

With a sickening slicing noise, the sharp toxic crystal stabbed the Insectrox right where Roku assumed the chest was. The creature stopped, sputtered, and fell to the side. He pulled the blade out, turning back to the approaching abominations.

The next one charged, its carnivorous mouth wide open, emitting a horrifying hiss. But this one was smart; it knew what had happened to the previous attacker, so it tried something different. The second Insectrox fired a blast of corrosive saliva from its mouth. The liquid flew through the air, catching Roku by surprise.

At the last second, Roku raised his arms, stopping the acid in mid-air. His telekinetic powers had worked; he had control of the corrosive spit.

The Insectrox was not at all happy. Roku willed with his mind for the spit to fly back to its creator… and it obeyed. The acid splashed all over the form of the Insectrox, causing it to writhe in pain.

"Yeah! Not so fun when it hits you, is it?" Roku exclaimed, releasing his frustration.

Roku let his guard down for just a moment too long…

The third and last Insectrox knocked Roku to the ground from the side, pinning the captain to the pavement with its thick claws. The sharp pincer limbs were cutting into Roku's wings, making it impossible for him to get back up.

The large spider-like creature opened its mouth, baring its circular sharp teeth inches from Roku's face. It looked hopeless for him.

But then again… that's a space captain for ya'.

Roku realized, in that moment, that he had _talons._

"Sorry, but your dinner has been _delayed_," Roku said, staring into the dark eyes of the disgusting thing above him.

He brought his legs back, making his knees come as far up as they could, and then pushed upwards. The sharp ends of his talons cut right into the Insectrox's body, in the area not too far under it's neck. Roku continued to push upwards, cutting even deeper into the mechanical Grox cyborg.

The Insectrox emitted a low pitch wail, and then fell silent.

When he was sure that it was no longer alive, Roku moved his legs to the right, allowing the limp form of the Insectrox to slide off his talons and onto the pavement beside him.

Roku was panting as he got up, twinging at the newfound cuts a bruises he had all over him.

"Hold on," Tisep ordered, rushing over to where Roku was, "Stay still."

Tisep raised the Invigorator, the powerful healing device created by Ecologist empires, and allowed it to work its magic. The device shined a green color, with a beam of light directed at the bruised form of Roku. An aura of energy formed around him, and a felling of instant relief fell upon the captain. His cuts closed, his aches faded, and his bruises disappeared.

"Thanks," Roku said, now fully standing up.

"No problem," Tisep replied.  
"Looks like we got almost everybody," Roku stated, examining what was left of the plaza. All of the enemies that were there before were either dead… or disintegrated. Not to mention the large amount of explosion debris from the three separate battles.

"Ok… so, Draxus, seriously?" Arcadia commented, as he walked towards the mission headquarters entrance. He and the rest of the crew were making a rendezvous at the large door. As Draxus was currently farthest from the large doorway, he had to shout to be heard.

"Yeah… sorry about that…" Draxus responded jogging up past the fountain and towards the entrance, "Didn't think that through too much… what happened to you guys?"

"Killed some Mites."

"Same."

"Fought some Insectrox."

"_I'm a girl_."

The five of them were now positioned at the bottom of the Chimera Mission Headquarters gigantic front doorway. It was tinted a brownish color, and the portraits of famous Chimera captains were quite prevalent at this distance.

"Okay… how do we get in?" Roku asked.

"If this door is anything like what it was before… then all we need is the voice command," Arcadia explained.

"And that would be?..."

"_I am Captain Arcadia of the Chimera Empire. Registered Citizen 77867D, Requesting Entrance to the Mission Headquarters."_

Only an annoying denial chime was emitted from the door. The large metal plates remained locked in place.

"Dang. The Grox must have changed it. What would they have set it to?"

"I have an idea," Roku said, stepping forward, "_Agriath is the Lord of Darkness, the master of the Tesseract, and the inevitable fate of the universe."_

Unbelievably, the security system accepted the pass code.

"Wow," Arcadia said, "They really do need something different to say, don't they?"

The two steel plates that secured the interior of the headquarters slid apart, revealing a medium sized hallway beyond. The walls were designed just like the interior of the Research Facility on Barx – Long, with pipes on the corners, and a khaki and metallic colored wall.

The cadets raced inwards, not wanting to spend any more time dawdling. They had a planet to save, after all.

They continued down the hallway, with Arcadia in the lead, and Roku close behind. Countless titanium doors passed them by as they ran towards the center of the facility, the aforementioned 'Landing Bay.'

"Where are all the Grox? Didn't they take control of this place?" Gire asked, from the back of the group.

"Yeah…" Arcadia responded, "It's weird. I mean… aside from the enemies we met in the previous battle… and the squadron back at the Bubble Pool… we haven't seen any other Grox infantry. Where are they? Unless…"

"Unless what?"

Arcadia was about to speak, but he closed his mouth. They had reached the landing bay.

It was spectacular; A huge, circular opening at the heart of the building. There was no roof, nor were there any floors or obstructions between them and the sky. They were on the bottom story of the headquarters, but they could look straight up and see the destructive battle above. It was a 'hole' in the building, a place where spaceships could land and refuel. Along the perimeter of the opening, on different levels, were multiple balconies and windows from the building's many levels. It was like someone had taken a circular chunk out of headquarters, creating a place where you could see all of the stories of the building at once. Imprinted on the floor below were the large letters 'LB,' which Roku assumed stood for 'Landing Bay.'

But this was nothing compared to what Roku saw hovering above the center of the spacious room.

There, unmistakably, was the Tharak.

"Yes!" Roku excalaimed, breaking away from the rest of the crew and racing towards his beloved spaceship, "I found you at last!"

"Wow," Gire said, examining the structure of the ship, "That is one nice cruiser."

"Indeed," Draxus added.

Arcadia didn't say anything… Something was wrong…

Just as Roku was feet from the ship, it vanished. There was no warning… not even an explanation. It simply disappeared. One moment it was there… the next… nothing.

"What?" Roku shouted, coming to a halt where the Tharak used to stand, "Why did it?... What the?"

Completely bewildered, the rest of the crew ran up behind Roku, just as confused and intrigued as to what had happened. An entire spaceship had just vanished!

"How?... How?..."

Without warning, something else appeared. A holographic, rectangular screen materialized above the five creatures in the Landing Bay. It was a communication screen, just like the one Roku had used to talk to Civet before Thar was destroyed… except this one was _much_ bigger. The entire screen must have been at least ten feet in length. It was floating at a downward angle, so that the captains could view it properly.

Static filled the screen, but seconds later it dissipated, revealing the form of a _human._

They could only view this person from the chest up, due to the way the camera was positioned.

"Who… who the heck are you? And where is the Tharak!" Roku shouted, looking directly at the unknown human above.

"Oh… that piece of junk?" the human said, his voice emanating from the projection and bouncing off the walls of the Landing Bay, "Why would we be stupid enough to give it back to you? What you saw was a hologram. In terms of my identity… well… my name is Alan. I'm Chase's older brother."

"And…" Roku continued, "What have the Grox done with Chase and Maruck? You obviously aren't in the headquarters any more… and there aren't that many soldiers in the city at all… what are you planning?"

"Me? I'm not planning anything. I'm just a follower of the Grand Master."

"Cut the nonsense. Just tell me what you've done!"

"Okay, okay," Alan said, "Your _friend,_ Chase, is currently getting baked to a crisp in the Grand Tree. I assure you, it's completely hopeless for him."

"What?"

"And Maruck… actually… he's chillin' with Chase as well… no pun intended."

"Wait!" Arcadia interrupted, "The Grand Tree? What have you done?"

"Just see for yourself," Alan said. The screen's projection changed. They were no longer viewing Alan. Instead, they were looking at a gigantic tree. They had to be viewing it through a remote camera, as their perspective was from somewhere in mid-air.

The building was made of purely organic materials. A wonder of biology and architecture; A living building.

Not anymore…

The Grand Tree was lit aflame. A large pillar of smoke was rising from the burning form of the tree's massive canopy. Knowing the structure of the building, it didn't have much longer before it completely collapsed, in a shower of burning wood and ashes.

"What? You've destroyed the Grand Tree! That's one of this empire's prides!" Arcadia yelled back at the holo-screen. The projection switched back to Alan, who was laughing.

"That doesn't even matter, Chimera! The destruction of that tree will never be remembered at all! Another force of much grander destruction is at work here," Alan said, at the top of his lungs, "See for yourself!"

The screen switched to another remote camera, this one positioned high in the sky. In the center of their field of view, was the Grox flagship. Vessels of all shapes and sizes were streaking across the frame, but the flagship was remaining perfectly still. But that _wasn't _the scary part.

The flag ship was charging a _Planet Buster._

A huge blob of orange plasmic energy was forming underneath the belly of the giant Grox vessel. If it finished charging, then all of Phrychous would be destroyed in the blink of an eye… exploding in a massive cascade of fire.

"No!" Arcadia screamed, "There are billions of innocent Chimera on this planet… none of them did anything to upset your 'God!'"

"Are you sure about that?" Alan asked, now present on the screen again, "Their simple denial to worship Agriath has led to their inevitable destruction!"

"Wait," Roku said, "Why didn't you just fire the Planet Buster when you got here? Why enter a full fledged battle?"

"Because I _knew_ that Chase would come here. And I had a little business to take care of."

"What? You're saying this entire battle… all of the people that gave their lives to hold off the Grox… anyone who engaged in the massive firefight above us... the untold casualties and deaths… ALL of it… was simply so you could talk to Chase again?"

"Indeed, and now that I'm done… I don't need this planet anymore… you all can say goodbye to the beloved Chimera homeworld. It's time for the big kaboom!"

The connection was cut off, causing the holo-screen to dematerialize.

The cadets couldn't believe it. They stood there dumbstruck.

"Ok," Roku said, breaking the silence, "Plan of action! We need to do the following: 1. Save Chase and Maruck from the Grand Tree – 2. Get back to the Comet Wasp – and 3. Escape the planet before its completely destroyed. Am I right?"

"Yeah…" Draxus said.

"Then first we need to get to the Grand Tree."  
"But how?" Gire asked, "It's on fire right now. There is no way we can get there in time!"

"Really?" Roku said, running over to stand right next to Gire, "There's always a solution."

"Like what?"

"Like using my short-range teleport."

"Yeah… NO. I know for a fact that this planet has powerful mobile teleport nullifier."

"BUT, this is the mission headquarters, is it not? Shouldn't you be able to deactivate it from here?"

Gire's eyes were wide. He sprinted off towards the nearest interface panel, which was located on the wall on the side of the Landing Bay.

"Ok… let's see…" Gire said, pressing buttons all over the panel, "Dang! The Grox have locked the system! I can't do anything!"

"Can't you override it?" Roku asked.

"Yeah… but only for a few seconds. You'll only have a tiny window to use your teleport. After that it's locked again."

"A few seconds is all I need," Roku said, "Ready? On mark, 3… 2… 1… NOW!"

Gire pulled down on the lever, causing the panel to make a loud chime, signaling the deactivation of the teleport nullifier.

Roku locked on to the signal from Chase's short-range teleport, and dematerialized in a flash of bright energy.

* * *

Roku returned, not even five seconds later, with two new creatures in tow. The first was a human, and looked quite similar to Alan, only younger, and the second was a Scorpnak.

"Good lord!" Chase shouted, stumbling around, "I've got to get used to those teleports."  
"Where are we?... And who are they?" Maruck asked, pointing at Arcadia and his crew.

"Ok… quick briefing," Roku said, "This is Captain Arcadia of the Chimera Empire, and these are his trusted cadets: Draxus the weapons manger, Tisep the biotechnicion, and Gire the communications expert and engineer. It turns out that the Grox don't really care about the survival of this planet after all… big surprise… and are launching Planet Buster anytime within the next few minutes."  
"What?" Maruck shouted.

"That's what I said too," Arcadia commented.

"Now we _need_ a way to get back to the Comet Wasp before this planet goes boom. Any ideas?"

Everyone was quiet in thought. It was almost night; The sky was dark, and the continual sound of explosions and gunfire stretched across the sky.

"What about…" Chase said, "Well… the Grox took us to the Grand Tree in something they called a 'razor tram.' Not sure what it is though."

"That's perfect!" Arcadia interjected, "The razor trams are a small mobile transportation device that the Chimera use to get around the city."

"Sort of like what you would call Taxis," Gire explained, "Except much faster. The name 'tram' is an understatement. There have been documented Razor Tram races."

"Quite," Arcadia continued, "Now there should be a few somewhere in this landing bay. I'm guessing that's where the Grox got there's. Gire, can you open up storage and get one of those trams out here?"

"Of course Captain," Gire responded, turning back to the interface panel, "Just need to spin this here… pull up this dialog… choose razor tram… click YES… click OPEN GATE… enter the pass code… 'Agriath is the Lord of blah blah blah etc. etc. etc…. and click DONE… wait… AAAHH!"

At the moment the computer accepted his request, and huge amount of electricity was funneled into Gire's body.

"What in the?..." Roku said, running towards Gire, "What happened?"

Gire let go of the panel, falling to the ground.

"Tisep! Get that invigorator over here pronto!" Arcadia ordered.

"Coming!"

Gire was breathing hard, _too hard_, and had sparks of electricity occasionally arcing out of his body.

"The… the… panel… shock… shocked me…" Gire tried to say, taking deep breaths between every word.

Roku, Arcadia, and their respective crews were now gathered around Gire, who was lying on the ground.

"How did this happen?" Chase asked.

"Bet you more than anything that Alan made some last minute hacking adjustments to the headquarters' power usage system," Roku said, "When Gire activated the Razor Tram, it shocked him… bad."

"You know about Alan?"

"I'll explain later."

"I'm not gonna be… I'm not gonna be able to… to… make it," Gire panted, looking at the many different creatures above him.

"Don't be silly," Tisep said, raising the invigorator, "Just stay still." The green energy descended from the Invigorator, encompassing Gire's body.

_It didn't do anything. _Some of the cuts he had gotten from the previous battle were dissipated… but he still remained incredibly weak, barely able to move.

"It… it… dosen't heal electrical wounds. I don't'… I don't have a… a physical injury… its… it's the electricity… stopping… stopping my heart from working…"

Gire tilted his head to the side, closing his eyes.

"Gire?" Arcadia said, worried.

"I'm sorry Captain… Goodbye."

And with that, he stopped speaking.

They couldn't believe it.

"Did he?" Chase said.

Silence.

"We need to move," Roku said, standing back up, "Gire gave us something before he left… the razor tram is out."

Everyone else slowly stood back up, turning to face the main portion of the Landing Bay. Where the Tharak's fake hologram had once been, a medium sized hover-transport was now located.

It was orange, with an elongated front, and one large propulsion engine on the back. It hovered about a foot above the ground, with an exposed seating area that had enough room to sit nine people – three rows of three. The driver's seat was in the front, and sported the typical wheel and pedal configuration. As they looked at it, the sides that enclosed the seating area were opening, almost like car doors, to allow the cadets to enter. The elongated front had the Chimera Empire logo engraved into it, along with the phrase "Razor Tram 88."

"Come on…" Roku said, "Gire would have wanted us to escape. He gave his life to get us this device."

"Then what are we waiting for," Arcadia stated, walking towards the razor tram's driver seat. He jumped into the car, grabbing the wheel with his top set of arms, and closing the door with his bottom left one.

No one else wasted a second more. Tisep and Draxus bounced into the middle seats, with Chase and Maruck taking up the back. Roku took the seat next to Arcadia, who looked more determined than ever.

Without even asking if they were ready, Arcadia slammed down on the forward pedal. The engines blasted to life, sending the tram streaking out of the landing bay.

They sped out through the long metallic hallway of the headquarters, with Arcadia showing no sign of slowing down. Lighting fixtures and doors were blurred around them as they flew by at unrivaled speed. The Razor Tram blazed out of the building through the massive entryway.

They were back in the plaza. The tram made a slight turn to avoid the broken fountain, but Arcadia corrected its course, having to slide around a chunk debris in order to travel down the 6 o'clock street.

The sound coming from the engine made it almost impossible to have normal conversation. It was a loud, scratchy, explosive noise. Roku knew from experience that it was a micro-fission engine. They were cheap to mass produce, and powerful for military equipment and weapons, but… they were annoyingly loud. The Razor Trams obviously weren't the most prestigious of the Chimera transport devices.

Nevertheless, the vehicle was allowing them to make great progress through the city; progress they would have never made on foot. Without it, Roku shuddered to think if they even had a _chance_ to escape the planet. Come to think of it… Roku wasn't even sure if escape was still likely. It was quite possible that they would be incinerated completely… and he… Roku, would never be remembered for his bravery. It would just be assumed that he died so long ago… when the mighty home of the New Tharian Empire fell to the scourge of the galaxy…

They had to escape.

BANG.

The sound resonated off the sides of everything around them. It seemed impossible… how could any form of weaponry be pointed at them? How could any enemy possibly have the artillery or skill capable of hitting a moving vehicle?

But the answer was clear, and undeniable.

"Tisep!" Draxus screamed.

The female Chimera collapsed to the floor of the razor tram. She had been hit, a bullet piercing her shoulder.

"Stop the tram!" Draxus yelled at Arcadia, who immediately complied. The captain forced his foot down on the breaks, causing the fission engine to come to a sputtering hault. They stopped. The tram was somewhere back in the residential district, as Chimera Apartments were on either side of the road.

"Quickly!" Draxus said, urgently.

Arcadia jumped out the side of the tram, not bothering to open the door, and pulled open the door on Tisep's row. Tisep was sitting on the tram's floor, with her back against the bottom of the seat, and her arms clutching her left shoulder.

"What is it? Tell us what we can do to heal it," Arcadia asked, looking at Tisep intently.

"Hold on!" Roku said from the front of the car, "That was a Grox sniper… stationed by Alan… waiting for us. We have to keep mov…"

BANG.

Another bullet went flying thorugh the air, this time aimed at Arcadia's head.

"NO!" Roku exclaimed. With expert telekinetic skills, Roku grabbed the bullet with his mind, a feat that surprised even him. The long, pulsating chunk of metal, hovered feet from the Chimera's skull. Roku slowly turned it around, and released the rest of its kinetic energy. He knew it would work. The bullet shot back in the direction it was shot, impacting the Grox sniper who had sent it. Everyone in the tram heard a shout of pain off in the distance. The enemy had been neutralized.

"You can't… help me…" Tisep said.

"But the invigorator…" Arcadia stated.

"Archon bullet," Roku explained, now facing the middle row of the tram, "It doesn't matter where it impacts the body… its filled with anti-life poison… an energy which the invigorator cannot heal. Only one object can stand up to the dark forces of Archon… and it was taken away from me."

"What do we do?" Arcadia asked, trying to put pressure on Tisep's shoulder.

"Just look at me, Arcadia," Tisep muttered, trying to sit up.

"Huh?"

"There _is nothing_ you can do… I know this is the end for me."

"No, not like Gire… you're not going to die!"

"I'm sorry."

"You don't understand; I can't let this happen! It's my duty to keep the three of you alive… and I've already failed…"

"But it's more than that… you need to know…"

"Know what?"

"That I love you… that I always have."

No one in the tram spoke. Arcadia remained tense, unbelieving, as he looked into Tisep's eyes.

"What?"

"I didn't join your crew because I was forced. I was given the choice between joining the elite crew of biotechnicions on the new Detromeir class battle cruisers… but I choose you."

"Good Spode, the pay is _a lot_ better on those things."

Tisep laughed, "Very much so. Believe me, I almost choose that. But I when I saw you… we'll I don't want to sound _too_ archetypical… but I loved you at first sight… forget it… that _definitely _sounded archetypical…"

"No."

"Huh?"

"You don't… I thought so as well. You always acted like you had a thing for me. And now I know, more than ever… and I have to realize… that I love you too."

"Non-archetypical my butt," Chase muttered in the background. Maruck elbowed him.

"Indeed… Arcadia," Tisep said, "I'm sorry… but this is goodbye."

"No… you can't… isn't there _anything_ we can do?"

"Take me out of the tram… set me somewhere else…"

Arcadia used his four powerful Chimera arms to lift the form of Tisep up and out of the Razor Tram. He carried her a few feet, and then set her down on the pavement at the edge of the road. The rest of the crew remained in the tram, watching intently.

"Remember me, Arcadia. When I go…"

"Don't say that."

"When I go… keep going. Keep fighting for what you know is right. When creatures think they are going to die, they panic… but when they _know_ they are going to die… they get very calm. That is where I am Arcadia… and the one thing you can do for me… is promise that you will fight against the False God That Will Come."

"False? Where'd that come from?"

"I figured it out… he is not a true spirit of something of higher power… he is a dark figure… no matter how much he seems true… do not fall prey… remember me, Arcadia! Remember that Agriath is the FALSE God that Will Come!"

"I will miss you."

"As will I, more than ever."

"Goodbye, Tisep."

They kissed.

"Archetypical… " Chase muttered, back in the tram. This time it was Draxus who elbowed the immature human.

"Goodbye, Arcadia."

Tisep fell silent, closing her eyes, as she lay on the ground.

Arcadia stood up, with his eyes closed as well, in utter disbelief. He was facing away from the rest of the crew, so no one saw the single tear roll down his face…

"_No more_," Arcadia stated, swinging around and running back to the razor tram. He pulled open his door, and jumped back into the driver's seat. Behind him, Draxus pulled Tisep's previously open door back inward, returning his gaze to what lay in front of them.

The tram's engines sent them barreling forward once again. They flew through the rest of the residential district in silence, not wanting to speak to Arcadia, who's emotional state was completely unknown to them. Numerous empty Chimera homes shot in and out of their field of view as they moved closer and closer to the Comet Wasp. The plateau was slowly coming into view, and the hovering form of Arcadia's spaceship was present on top of it.

Arcadia brought the Razor Tram to a sputtering stop, causing the crew inside of it to jolt forward a few inches. Everyone got out at the same time, equally anxious to escape the impending doom in this planet's future.

"Okay… how do we get up there?" Chase asked, looking up at the vertical cliff face.

"We don't," Arcadia said. The Chimera began fiddling with a device on his wrist. After a few moments of adjusting something, he declared, "Ascend."

Arcadia had remotely adjusted the angle of the Comet Wasp's extraction beam. Instead of shining the hover-beam directly below the ship, it extended outward over the edge of the plateau, and down onto the street of the residential district.

The Captain ran over to the anti-grav energy, followed by Roku, Chase, Maruck, and Draxus. The five of them slowly moved from the surface of the metallic street, to the safety of the Comet Wasp. As they ascended, they could see the whole of the capital city once again. The sun was just disappearing over the horizon, and the blasts and explosions from the battle were dangerously close. Smoke was still rising from the center of the city, where the Grand Tree had once stood.

Obviously, Arcadia was the first to enter his space vessel, with Roku being the next. The rest of the cadets tumbled in after them, a look of exhaustion on everyone's faces.

"Come on," Arcadia said, moving out of the extraction room and into the hallway that branched off from it. The metallic tunnel made one long curve, and brought them to an iris door. As they approached, it opened, and allowed them to set foot in the command deck.

It was exactly like they remembered it; A spacious room, with a large viewing window in the front… and Arcadia's piloting platform, raised above everything else. Two of the three other control chairs would no longer be occupied…

Arcadia instinctively climbed up the staircase to his piloting chair, and began to move some of the instruments on the interface panel.

"Ok," Arcadia said, "We need to get out of here _now!_ I have no idea how much longer we have until the planet buster impacts. Draxus, you're going to resume your post as weapons manager… the rest of you can take a seat somewhere in any of the other chairs…. this _isn't _going to be a smooth ride… at all."

Draxus bounced forward and into his chair. He too began messing with multiple buttons and levers all over the weapons panel. Roku and his crew took seats in some of the other unoccupied chairs.

"Um…. Captain?" Draxus said, worried.

"Yes?"

"I think we have a problem."

"And that would be?"

"The ignition engines… they… we'll… the weapons scan shows that multiple explosives have been placed within the main engine shaft. If we start up the ship… they'll explode…"

"What?" Arcadia exclaimed.

"Show me," Roku said, running up to stand next to Draxus. Two glowing red dots were present on the ship's scan. They were, undeniably, explosives, and placed in the ships main ignition shaft. If those exploded, there would be no escaping the planet buster. "Dang… The Grox must have put those in there. Clever little gremlins…"

"What do we do?" Chase asked.

"Someone has to go outside, and remove them manually…" Arcadia explained.

"We'll, " Chase said, "That shouldn't be too har…"

**BOOM.**

A bright yellow light blurred everyone's view.

"_No."_

The ground below the Comet Wasp began to shake.

"_Impossible."_

The temperature bean to rise.

"_We're too late…"_

The planet buster had impacted the planet.

The crew present in the ship stared out the front window. A bright pillar of fire was shooting out of a massive crater in the mountains… just on the edge of their horizon. A shockwave was moving away from it. They could see it… a massive disturbance in the air… collapsing entire buildings as it passed over the capital city.

"Draxus, turn on the shield!"

"I copy!"

"Brace yourselves!"

The shockwave hit the spacecraft. Everyone inside was thrown around violently, and knocked back up and out of their chairs. It was chaos. They had no idea how long the shockwave was messing with their orientation.

Once the shaking died down, Arcadia stood back up.

"Everyone, report!" he said, "Roku?"

"Fine."

"Chase?"

"Here."

"Maruck?"

"Good."

"Draxus?"

Nothing.

"Draxus?"

No response.

"He's gone…" Roku said, "I mean… he was here a second ago… but now… he's just gone…"

Where was he?

Arcadia pressed down on the radio button on his wrist. He said once again, quite clearly, "DRAXUS, REPORT!"

There were 10 seconds of silence…

"_Sorry Captain… I knew I had too do this."_

"What?" Arcadia said, through the radio, "Where are you?"

"_Outside… I took advantage of the chaos to do the thing I knew I had to do."_

"What? Draxus, get back inside the spaceship! The planet buster has already impacted… we don't even have a minute left!"

"_I know sir… I've already removed the explosives. You need to leave!"_

"No! Get back in the ship! You're coming with us!"

"_You know we'll enough that there isn't enough time for you to escape the planet buster blast and for me to get back in the ship!"_

"You're coming back in here! That's an order!"

"_No… just this conversation is wasting your time… you need to leave, or we'll all die!"_

"He's right!" Roku shouted, examining Draxus's unoccupied desk, "We've got 36 seconds until planet-wide detonation. If we don't begin our escape now… we'll never get a safe distance from the explosion in time!"

"_Go… I have a feeling we'll se each other again…"_

"What… how?" Arcadia said, shocked, "I can't lose you too! Not after everything that has happened!"

"_GO!"_

Against everything that he wanted to do, Arcadia was forced to slam down on the ignition. The Comet Wasp engines came to life, emitting a glorious rumble of energy.

"Goodbye… Gire… Tisep… and Draxus…"

The Comet Wasp ascended from the top of the plateau, moving out and over the city. Through the front window, they could see the entire path they had taken to reach the Comet Wasp… and the remains of the Grand Tree.

The secondary kronon engines came on line, sending the spacecraft blasting up into the atmosphere, at a speed faster than sound.

They flew through the chaos of the battle.

The death and destruction.

The billions of people who had no knowledge that their life would end.

The vile Grox Empire that was burning destruction across the stars.

Everything that they were hopeless to stop.

"Total planet wide destruction in… 3… 2… 1…" Roku said, staring at the console.

Another resounding BOOM. Another shining yellow light. Another drastic increase in outside temperature. There was nothing they could do about it. They didn't even need to look at what had happened.

They knew… but they wish they didn't.

Phrychous was destroyed.

* * *

_Wow... this one took a long time. But let me tell you, this is the longest chapter to date! Here we have the conclusion of the battle on the Chimera homeworld... as sad as it is. Just when you though things couldn't get more epic... this chapter comes out._

_And I'm sorry if you liked any of the three characters that were killed off in this chapter... it had to be done... We'll it didn't REALLY have to be done... but you get the point :)_

_Look forward to the next chapter... as some more of the important backstory is going to be revealed..._


	18. Primo

_Finally! The next chapter. Sorry for the long wait. I got caught up in a bunch of other things, including school, but I'm finally back and ready to continue this story! I've already started on the next chapter, so it should be out soon. Thanks for being patient, and without further adue, let chapter 18 begin!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**18:** PRIMO

* * *

_"We have devoted ourselves to spreading life throughout the galaxy. Every new world that we seed with life becomes not only a home for our species, but a repository of nature that can assure the survival of life even if other worlds are destroyed."_

-Stones of Life

* * *

_Thar… do you read me… Thar? Please respond…_

_I cannot be certain… but I believe this is my last transmission. Everything I've tried has failed … I'm stuck here… on this desolate, primitive world._

_Please… if anyone can hear me… respond…_

_If one day… someone finally stumbles across my last reach for civilization… know my tale. Know the story of my journey to uncover the truth. The truth of the greatest mystery this galaxy has to hold… if not the entire universe. I spent years researching it… down to the greatest detail… and I believe I finally know. If anyone ever finds me… look at my research… learn what I learned… just as Steve had planned…_

_So many things that didn't fit together… such improbable explanations… it finally makes sense. If I am correct… than a war is to follow… a massive fight for the most powerful thing in the galaxy. I shall not live to see the day… but it will occur. For everything that I have seen in my lifetime… points toward the prophecy; The prophecy that few Zealot empires study in this era. It was lost… so many years ago. The tale that disappeared into the shadows… but I know now… the truth. It is… The Tale of Tesseract._

_Signing off, Captain Marks of the Old Tharian Empire._

* * *

"Negative!" Maruck shouted, "I can't reactivate the hyperspace tunnel! We're trapped in the planet's gravity!"

"Where did it even come from?" Arcadia exclaimed, "It just appeared out of nowhere!"

"I don't understand either!" Roku explained, "Somehow it was evading all of our equipment! This star system shouldn't even exist!"

"We have seconds left!" Maruck continued, "All systems are closing. I'm losing all control of every ship function!"

"Roku! Isolate the shield controls! Give them full power!" Arcadia ordered.

"I'll try!"

"10 seconds!" Maruck warned.

"It's not working!"

"Keep trying!"

"7 seconds!"

"Wait… almost!"

"Hurry!"

"3 seconds!"

"Almost… just one more…"

"2… 1!"

"Got it!"

**FLASH.**

* * *

He awoke in his bed.

His _real _bed.

The one he had missed for so long… on the planet he knew he would never see again. But here it was…. Could everything before have been… a dream?

Roku was on Thar… in his suite at the top of the Southern Residential Tower. Everything was the way it should be.

Everything…

Or was it?

Something was blatantly not right. Roku got out of bed and walked to balcony doors. He slid them open, and stepped outward to look upon the gorgeous, breathtaking view. There was the capital city of the New Tharian Empire… perfectly intact. The Main Control Tower standing tall… proud, and powerful.

_What could possibly be wrong?_

"Everything," said a voice behind Roku.

In terror, the captain spun around and stared at the mysterious intruder. There it was, again. It was the strange, vaguely Grox-like creature, with its cat ears and large eyes, but much taller... about the same height as Chase... and a brown-tinted skin - The one that had spoken to him before.

"Who are you?"

"I once had a name…" said the creature, who was adjacent to the bed, and leaning against the metallic frame, "But so many myths have surrounded my nature, that even _I'm_ not sure anymore."

"Last time I saw you… you said this was an ability you could perform… to call across space into other people's dreams… How can you do that?"

"You shall learn soon… In fact, most of the mysteries kept secret shall be foretold within the near future."

"But why are you here?"

"A battle is approaching, Roku. The call to war has resonated across the galaxy. The fate of this world, and every other like it will be tested. You must be prepared, and it starts with where you are now."

"What… Thar?"

"No… where you _really _are."

Roku was clearly confused.

"How am I supposed to get _there_?" Roku asked, moving towards the creature.

"My message to you was not of that purpose. I'm here to save you. Like before… you need to wake up. If you don't, I dare not imagine the consequences."

"But… wait… what?"

The Grox-like organism smiled.

"Remember… 37, 53."

"Huh?"

**FLASH.**

* * *

Roku's eyes snapped open… again.

He wished he hadn't. His new location… was vile, gross, and all around _disgusting._

Roku was encapsulated by some strange, organic, pulsating green mesh. He was submerged to just below his neck in a slippery polymer-like substance. His entire body was crammed inside of a small space.

_What in the?_

His legs and wings were tucked in tightly, forcing him to be wrapped up in a near "fetal position." The mesh-like walls were sticky, and glued Roku's body to their slimy surface. He was amazed he could breath… but then again, his nose was above the strange substance that nearly 80% of his body was submerged under. The liquid was green as well, and seemed to be clinging to Roku's skin. Overall, the situation was very uncomfortable.

Roku tried to struggle, but failed at moving any of his body parts. He was utterly stuck… and at the mercy of whoever… or whatever had placed him here. Roku noticed groups of slimy tentacles that were wrapped around his limbs, and one across his torso.

_What is this? Am I inside some kind of… creature?_ Roku thought, _I sure hope not._

Roku had no idea how he got here, but as of now… the only thing he was concerned about, was getting out.

_My poison blade… that's it!_

The captain focused his mind on the small energy activation switch on his wrist. To his satisfaction, it moved, switching into the on position; Telekinetic abilities sure had their uses. The energy blade extended from his wrist, shining a bright purple, and emitting a fire-like glow. It was one of the most powerful shaman weapons, requiring no energy, but capable of lethal destruction.

_Now for some fun…_

Roku pulled the blade up, breaking the tentacle holding his left arm. With that free, he proceeded to swiftly jab the blade downward, piercing the green mesh underneath him. Nothing seemed to happen…

Roku tried again, this time piercing the surface above him, and then twisted the blade. _That _got a response.

What sounded like a drone, maybe even a cry of pain… echoed in the distance. Somewhere above him… a creature was in pain. Or more correctly: somewhere above him, the _head _of a creature was exclaiming in pain.

"Ok… that's kinda weird…" Roku muttered to himself, removing the blade. He knew now, for sure, that he had to get out.

_How did I even get here… how could I possibly forget something like this?_

Roku got the blade ready again. He sliced the tentacles binding his other arm, legs, and torso. This gave a bit of freedom, but he was still cramped inside a ridiculously small space. To solve this, Roku jabbed the blade into the mesh directly in front of him, and then slowly began to push down. He was slicing an opening in the walls. He watched as the gooey substance broke apart.

_Come on… _Roku thought.

He brought the blade all the way down to where his talons were, and came to a stop, removing the energy blade. Roku pushed himself forward, grabbing hold of either side of the rift in the disgusting wall, and pulling in opposite directions. The rift spread, growing to form a distinct hole in the strange mesh substance. The whole time he was trying to keep his head _above_ the liquid that occupied most of the chamber.

Roku managed to open a hole at least three feet wide, and what he saw on the other side startled him. It was Chase, in a position exactly like he had been; encapsulated, entangled in tentacles, and submerged in a foul liquid. Unlike him, however, Chase was out cold – completely unconscious.

_How long have we been here? Where… where are we? My Spode… that creature in my dreams really knew what he was talking about._

The two chambers were now, in a sense, "connected," as there was a clear opening between the two.

"Chase!" Roku shouted, trying to wake the human, "Chase, come on!"

Of course, Roku didn't get a response, but he wasn't going to give up. The captain extended his talon as far as he could in the cramped, sticky place, and managed to get his leg partway into Chase's chamber. He stretched as far as he could, having to hold his breath and go under the strange liquid to gain the extra 5 in. he needed.

It worked. Roku managed to clamp his talon around Chase's leg. With the might of his telekinetic skills, Roku screamed a single phrase into Chase's mind.

_"WAKE UP!"_

The human jolted to consciousness, taking a huge gasp of air as his body resumed normal functions. Roku pulled back and pushed his head above the liquid, continuing to breathe as well.

"What…. What in the?" Chase exclaimed, spinning his head in a wild fashion, "What's going on?"

"Calm down…"  
"How am I supposed to calm down? Look where we are! What is this place? It's got tentacles… a sticky wall… weird water stuff… I think… If I didn't know any better, I'd say we were in something's stomach!"

"That's actually not outside the realm of possibilities."

"What?"

"Don't worry. I have a plan," Roku said, "Quickly, you need to use your fire ability. Burn everything around you."

"Seriously?"

"Just do it!"

"Here goes," Chase said turning his attention to his own arm.

The entire lower half of his right forearm erupted in flames, burning away at the tentacle binding him. It turned an irritated red color, and then sizzled away. Chase brought his freed arm up, and pointed it at the ceiling… or… whatever it was.

Another pillar of fire burned away at the mesh above him. It too turned red, and became distinctly irritated. High above, the strange droning echoed through… wherever they were.

"What exactly am I trying to accomplish?"

"I hadn't really thought that far yet," Roku admitted.

The droning above became an undeniable screech, making both Roku and Chase cringe. Something was in serious pain.

_Let's hope we're doing the right thing… _Roku thought.

Without warning, the liquid level began to rise. Roku gasped, taking a breath of air _just_ before being submerged below the vile substance. The liquid was murky, and nearly impossible to see through. This wasn't good. The entire area was now full of the green substance. Roku had no idea what they would do now.

Then, the mesh-like ceiling broke apart, slowly revealing a long, pulsating tunnel above them.

_What in the world?_

The captains were no longer being glued to the walls. All of the tentacles had released them. The only thing controlling them now, was the current. The liquid was sucking them up and out of their chambers. Like a piece of ice in a straw, both Chase and Roku were pulled out of their chambers and forced up the equally disgusting tunnel above them. They were being pushed along by the undulating movement of the tunnel itself. It would squeeze… and then move, pushing the captains forwards.

_Could this get any more disgusting?_

After Roku felt like he had moved at least 20 feet upwards, the tunnel curved, becoming horizontal. After a few more seconds of movement, Roku slid right out of an unseen opening, toppling out of the tunnel, and on to a flat, hard surface. His eyes were closed, so couldn't see what had just happened, or why he had passed through an exit. He _did_ notice that he was no longer touching any sort of sticky mesh, in fact, the surface he was on felt like dirt. And around him, a breeze was passing over.

Roku opened his eyes, examining his new surroundings. The ground he was, in fact, dirt. He was in a clearing, with forest trees lining the edge of the perfectly circular opening. Roku stumbled to his feet, slowly looking around. Lying on the ground in staggered positions were the rest of his comrades. Maruck, who was out cold, face down, at least 10 feet away – Arcadia, who was lying on his back, equally unconscious – and Chase, who was getting to his own feet, awake only due to Roku's previous interference. All of them were covered in a slippery, sticky green substance, which smelled of nothing good.

"What in the world happened?" Chase asked.

"That…" Roku responded, pointing at the center of the clearing. There was a hole, at least 5 feet wide, right where Roku was pointing. Protruding from it, was a long, almost worm-like creature. It was either dead, or a really good actor, as its head (or where it's head should've been) was not above the hole in the ground. The form of its "neck" came out from the opening, and then immediately curved to the right, and ended at the limp form of its mouth. It was a creature unlike anything the captains had seen before. It was green, with some of its own polymer-like liquid oozing from the husk of its motionless mouth.

"That thing _ate_ us?" Chase asked, in shock.

"I'm not sure if 'ate' is the best word to describe what it did," Roku said, taking a few steps towards the form of the creature, and squatting down to get a better look, "Do me a favor and wake up the other two."

"On it."

Roku looked at the green mesh that composed the skin of the creature. Exactly the same as the chamber. There was no doubt – they had been inside this thing. And due to Chase's fire, it had died, and, luckily, released them as well. The neck was a good 4 and a half feet thick, easily large enough to swallow each of them whole… but then the captain noticed something more.

In the background, Arcadia woke up, muttering something like, "What is all this stuff doing all over me?"

The front portion of its mouth, wasn't a mouth… it was the beginning of a split. As there was no clear face, eyes, or nose, the mouth itself seemed to extend down the body of the worm… all the way until just a foot before the entrance to the hole in the ground. Curiously, Roku reached out his hand, and pulled back on the side of one of the splits. If he was right, then he should be able to reveal the inside of the…

"Ugh…" Roku said in disgust. He was correct; the entire above ground portion of the worm was divided into four segments that were each capable of separating from each other. Examining the creature's interior, Roku came to an astonishing revelation. The inside of the mouth, looked like grass. It wasn't just a biological coincidence… it looked exactly like the grass in the forest around them… it was a _perfect _replica.

"Oh… no," Roku said aloud.

"What is it?" Arcadia asked, now awake, and standing behind Roku.

The Tharian got back to his feet and explained, "It's not an animal, or a creature of any kind."

"We'll then… once again… what is it?"

"A plant."  
"What?"

"Yeah, a plant. A carnivorous plant."

"Seriously?"

"_What in the name of Spode is going on!_" Maruck exclaimed in the background, "And why am I covered in… ugh… what is this?"

"My reaction wasn't nearly as immature," Arcadia muttered.

"You weren't awake inside of that thing," Roku said to the Chimera, "It's cramped, gross, and just… ugh."

"Anyway, you were saying… plant?"

"This clearing is a trap. Just look around, it's a perfect circle," Roku explained, motioning around, "When this organism was alive, the four flaps that make up the top of its body would expand, covering this entire clearing. On the inside of it… is an exact mimicry of regular grass. The prey comes innocently walking into the clearing… and_snap… _the plant has lunch."

"And this happened to… us?"

"That appears to be an excellent explanation."

"Hold on," Maruck said, stepping into the conversation, with Chase behind him, "This… _thing _swallowed us whole?"

"Exactly," Roku said back.

"Then why are we still alive? This green ooze stuff, if I'm not mistaken, is digestive acid. Corrosive by all means – shouldn't it have slowly disintegrated all of us?"

"Wait," Chase said, jumping in, "I know the answer to this… it's the personal shield, isn't it?"

"That's right," Arcadia affirmed, "But wait… shouldn't it's power have drained eventually?"

"True… In fact, I'm almost certain that the chemicals within the creature produce an amnesia effect," Roku said, "Do you any of you remember what led us here?"

"Uh… actually, the last thing I remember… is… um… dang," Maruck responded.

"Exactly. We were put into a deep amnesic sleep. There was little to _nothing _that could wake us up. And in the mean time, the creature digests our body."

"But we obviously got out before the personal shields were drained of power," Chase said.

"Yeah… how did we manage that?" Arcadia asked.

"Um… I guess… I just… woke up," Roku stuttered, looking for an explanation, "Maybe it was my telekinesis that gave me an advantage."

"Maybe," Arcadia said, "But we're not making any progress standing here, and this creature isn't doing me any good."

"Agreed," Roku said, beginning to take a few steps away from the carnivorous plant.

"But, where would we go?" Chase questioned, "It's not like we even know where we are."

Roku paused in thought. The rest of his comrades were gathered behind him. They were now on the edge of the clearing, with one of Roku's legs already placed upon the outside of the death plant's clearing. Chase noticed that Roku was fiddling with the teleport on his wrist.

"Dang," the Tharian said, "Can't use the teleport. There's a nullifier around here somewhere."

"What?" Chase exclaimed, "Why is it that _everywhere _we go, there's a nullifier stopping us from using the coolest device that we have?"

"Um… Arcadia, why don't you explain?" Roku stated.

"All right," the Chimera said, exasperated, "Let's see… teleportation 101." Arcadia was now facing Chase, with Roku standing in the background, and Maruck off to the side. "There are three types of teleportation, all of which are based off the same principles of kronon energy. They are: static to static, static to field, and field to field. A 'Static' teleport location would be a physical panel, or machine that uses power to create a stationary form of teleportation. 'Static to Static' would be teleportation between these two of these things. This is the most conventional, and easiest to create. It also allows for the farthest teleportation."

"That's like the teleport between the Archive planet space station and the database itself."

"Exactly. Next there is 'static to field.' This is like spaceship beaming technology. This allows people to travel from a stationary system to a location that doesn't have an installed teleport station. More advance models allow you to return as well. Though remember, this is developed much later. It takes empires a _long time _to learn how to teleport to a field destination. Lastly, there is 'field to field' which is the hardest to create and produce efficiently. Very few empires in the galaxy have access to this kind of technology, mainly because it involves condensing an entire teleport system into a single portable device. Even then, I'm sure you've noticed the limitations of such a system."

"Yeah, I can only teleport a few miles, past that it's useless."

"Also, since these devices are too small to store a database of destinations, it taps into the mind of the user, seeking out their intentions. Therefore, you need to be able to presently see your destination, or have been there at least once before."

"And the point of my question… the nullifiers?"

"Yes, due to the fact that 'field to field' or 'short-range teleports' have such a potential to be a powerful infantry weapon, most empires have teleportation nullifiers on their planets. Since they don't even have the technology yet, it doesn't affect them."

"And what empires even have the capability to make 'field to field' devices?"

"As I'm sure you know, the New Tharians. But also a few others… like the Shak'tul and the Matrani…

"I still don't get why it's such a big deal…"

"… and the Grox."

"Oh…" Chase stuttered, "that's why empires are so careful."

"Indeed."

"But why here?"

"No idea," Roku interrupted, "But it's not like we've seen much of the planet yet. Come on! We need to get moving."

"I've got no complaints," Maruck said.

And with that, the four of them began their trek through the jungle.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, pushing their way through the brush and tree branches. They all had no idea where they were going, but anywhere was better than the inside of a carnivorous plant. But then again… it seemed as if something was drawing them. As their memory of the recent events slowly faded back into their mind, their subconscious slowly led them to the correct location.

Chase spoke first, "Just a question… The plants are green here… just like plants on earth..."

"Well, there is only so many colors that chlorophyll can be. We were bound to eventually come across a planet with similar flora… save for the giant man-eating plant," Roku explained.

"I guess so."

Ten more minutes passed, and they still hadn't arrived where their minds were leading them.

"My gosh… we better find a way to get this goop off of us soon… its flat out gross… and really sticky," Maruck complained.

"We could," Arcadia responded, "Or we could focus on more important things… like surviving."

"I know, I'm just pointing out some other things we _should_ focus on. Seriously though, isn't it still corrosive?"

"Yeah, but since it's no longer within the plant, its power should be deteriorating. It's no longer being replenished."

"But… still corrosive? When will the personal shields fail?"

"Not for a while," Roku jumped in, "But according to your over-the-top safety, the best thing we could do is just take off all of our clothes, in order to remove the acid. Now, do you actually want that too happen?"

"Um… no."

"Exactly."

After another 5 minutes of trudging through the forest.

Still nothing.

Ten more minutes.

Lots of trees.

Finally ,15 minutes later…

Roku, Chase, Arcadia, and Maruck, happened upon the most interesting thing they had seen so far. Something so out of the blue, so unexpected, that all of them stopped walking simultaneously. They were staring in awe at what was before them.

A massive section of the forest had been obliterated. The trees were smashed, pockets of fire were crackling in different areas, and the smell of ash and dirt filled the air. Above all of this, right smack dab in the center of the destruction, was its very cause.

The Comet Wasp.

It had crashed in the middle of the forest, producing the crater, and leaving its inhabitants stranded.

"Oh…" Arcadia said, unbelieving.

The memories were flooding back into their minds. This vivid scene was enough to jolt the fragments of information in their subconscious back to life.

_They were in the Comet Wasp… en route to the Archive Planet… when it appeared out of nowhere. A large planet filled their view screen, producing a massive, seemingly impossible gravitational pull. There was nothing they could do… they fell through the atmosphere… crashing into the thick of a forest._

_They investigated. They went out to search for their whereabouts… but found no viable data. The ship didn't even recognize their current galactic coordinates. The planet shouldn't exist. And then… as they were walking through the trees, they were caught off guard by the carnivorous plant…_

They were all quiet for a moment.

"Ok… it makes sense now…" Roku stated, looking back at his comrades.

"So we crashed. Wow," Chase said, "For no real reason. Well… not one that we know at least."

"So let me get this straight," Arcadia said, "We've crashed on an unknown, undocumented alien world, that clearly has life, and a completely unknown force capable of pulling our ship in. Were covered in corrosive slime, the ship is in disrepair, and we're… stuck here?"

"Yep."

* * *

_There ya' Go. It's not as long as chapter 17, but it's still decent enough. Like I said, shouldn't be long until the next chapter, so look forward to that._

_Also deathshowlshe-wolf drew another awesome picture. This time of Arcadia. Check out the link on my profile._

_See ya' next time,_

_-njkilleen_


	19. Echoes of the Past

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**19:** ECHOES OF THE PAST

"Unbelievable…" Arcadia muttered, as he and the rest of his comrades trudged through the ruined valley, and towards the immense wreckage of the once powerful Comet Wasp.

"We couldn't have… no…" Roku stated, looking up at the smashed windows, torn hull, and overall disarray of their only escape from this planet. The captains avoided the debris that was impaled in the ground, shards of metal that stuck out at lethal angles, dust and ash that covered just about everything, and lifeless trees that were killed when the spaceship impacted.

"We did this?" Chase asked, hesitantly.

"Not intentionally…" Arcadia explained, "There is still quite a bit of mystery surrounding this planet… right down to the very nature of its existence…"

"Then what do we do?" Maruck questioned, "This ship obviously isn't gonna get us off the planet!"

"That could be a problem…" Chase observed, looking around at the ripped up and mutilated remains of Arcadia's spaceship, "But there has to be a way… what is it that you guys always say anyway? Don't under…"

"Not now Chase," Roku interrupted, "We need to focus on finding some viable shelter… after all, it appears as though night is approaching." The Tharian gestured towards the horizon, pointing out the distant blue sun, which was fading along the edge of their view.

"I'd think the Comet Wasp is as good as any shelter," Arcadia pointed out, "Plenty of supplies, capable weapons, and even a few bedrooms."

"Exactly what I was thinking. If we can fix the transmitter, we might even be able to send out an SOS to a nearby empire," Roku said, now looking hopeful.

"Let's hope so…"

"How are we gonna get inside?" Chase asked, looking for an entrance.

"Right over here," Arcadia said, walking over to the side, with the other three close behind him. They were now feet from the side of the Comet Wasp, staring at the solid titanium-alloy that composed the ships hull.

"There's nothing here…" Maruck said, looking at the ship before them, "It's just more banged up metal. What's so special about this part of the ship?"

"I know that there's a corridor just behind this part of ship… so all I have to do is… _this!_" The Chimera brought one of his arms back, activating the poison blade on his wrist. With a swift jab, he sliced a deep cut in the hull of the Comet Wasp. Smiling at his success, Arcadia began to move the blade, forming a rectangular shape in the side of his spaceship.

"Hold on…" Chase said, coming to a realization, "No ship crashes perfectly flat… I mean just look at it! The entire Comet Wasp is at an angle, I'd say at least 50 degrees… there is no way we can practically live in there. Walking around would be nearly impossible." Chase was right. When the spacecraft impacted, the front of the ship had been had been forced into the ground, sending its back end high in the air. Everything in the ship would be at a nearly impossible-to-walk slant.

"Are you… sure?" Arcadia asked. The four-armed captain used his extra limbs to grab hold of each side of the cut-out rectangle. With a grunt, Arcadia removed the rectangle, tossing it aside, where it landed on the ground with a definite _thump. _There was now a decently sized opening in the side of the ship, through which could be seen a typical Chimeran corridor, viewed from the side. The other side of the hallway was 7 to 8 feet from the opening, and corridor itself stretched out on both sides, out of their view.

"Yeah, see what I mean?" Chase said, stepping in front of Arcadia, and peering through the artificial hole, "It's completely slanted. If I tried to stand on that, I would slide all the way down to the command deck! How is this practical at all?"

As much as the situation that Chase was describing was completely correct, a large smile remained on Arcadia's face. Both Roku and Maruck were also snickering in the background.

"You sure about that, Chase?"

"Of course, I mean… just look! The whole ship is at a drastic angle… how can we stay in there? I mean… there is no real way we could… wait… wait… what are you doing?... no… ahhhh!"

Arcadia grabbed hold of Chase, tossing him through the opening in the hull. The human had an immensely surprised look on his face as he toppled onto the surface of the corridor. In Chase's point of view, it had appeared as if the entire world had rotated, changing to fit his perspective. A sudden flash of disorientation… and when Chase opened his eyes again… nothing made sense.

It appeared as if the ship had corrected itself. Everything was flat, and he wasn't sliding anywhere.

_How? But wasn't it… _Chase thought.

The human turned his head to look back out the opening, and got another, even greater, shock. The rest of his comrades were the ones facing the wrong direction. Looking out at them, Chase saw that they were all tilted to the left at a drastic angle. Not just them… but the entire world behind them. The trees, the ground, the sky… everything was slanted. It didn't make sense… if the ground outside was really like that… then they should be struggling to stand… how…

_Or maybe… I'm the one…_ Chase realized.

"Did you figure it out yet, Chase?" Roku asked.

"Huh?"

"The artificial gravity is still on. It doesn't matter what angle the ship is at, the ship's gravity is pulling you in the correct direction."

"That's… that's… awesome," Chase admitted looking around the corridor in amazement.

"Yes it is," Arcadia stated, "Quite awesome."

Shortly after, the remaining three captains climbed through the opening in the ship's hull, almost casually switching gravity, and moving forward to stand beside Chase.

"So, Arcadia… where exactly do you plan on going?" Roku asked, looking intently at the gray-skinned creature.

"First things first… follow me," Arcadia said, walking down the corridor, in the direction that would normally be considered 'down' but was currently 'forward' for the crew. They were moving through the predictable Chimeran architecture, exactly like they had remembered it, with some arches and doorways banged up and ripped apart, thanks to the impacts force.

They came to a fork in the hallway, and Arcadia swiftly sped down the right path, with Roku, Chase, and Maruck naturally following him. After a few more moments of walking, Arcadia abruptly came to a stop.

"Oops… almost missed it," he said, taking a few steps back, to stand before yet another titanium iris door, "Here it is." The words 'Toxic cleaning room' were imprinted above the door, causing Chase to come to a realization.

"Oh… yeah. We're still covered in corrosive slime… aren't we?" Chase said, pointing out the green goop that was still on all of them.

"Very much so… and I would like to get it off as soon as possible," Arcadia stated. The Chimera then touched the center of the iris, causing the metallic slices to revolve and open in their stereotypical sci-fi fashion. The room inside was small, not even 10 feet deep, but had a medium sized capsule in the back, large enough to fit any decently sized creature. It was cylindrical, and stretched from the floor to the ceiling, with the side facing them containing a curved door.

"I guess I'll go first," Arcadia said, quickly stepping into the room, pulling open the door, and stepping inside the capsule. The device had no windows, so it was impossible to see what was happening inside.

At least 10 seconds past.

"What is he…" Maruck began.

Before the scorpnak could finish his sentence, Arcadia came bursting out of the capsule. "Done."

To their surprise, Arcaida was now completely clean, free of the goop that still permeated the surface of Roku and his crew.

"Nifty," Roku said, examining capsule-like device, "A fully functional… full body cleanser."

"Yep, who's next?"

Maruck rushed past Roku and Arcadia, bounding into the cleansing device, clearly eager to remove the icky substance.

Same thing… about 15 seconds later…

"Wow," Maruck said, stepping out, "That thing is crazy. It's like a shower in 10 seconds!"

"Ok, I'll go now," Chase said, moving past a happy looking Maruck and into the device, "Anything to get this slime off."

15 seconds later…

"My gosh! That's ridiculous! Why on earth would you need such a fast cleaning device?"

"For situations like this," Arcadia explained, "Corrosive chemicals, poison… whatever really. I have the ability to set the ships beaming device to route incoming passengers into this thing, if, for example, we ever visit a suspiciously virulent planet. We wouldn't want an irradiated passenger coming aboard the ship."

"Good point."

"Roku, you need to try it!" Chase said.

"It's not like I wasn't going to." Roku moved into the room, just as eager to cleanse himself of the carnivorous plants digestive acids as everyone else was. The Tharian pulled open the capsule door and stepped inside, pulling it closed behind him.

Nothing happened for a second… but then suddenly…

A holographic, 2 dimensional grid descended from the ceiling of the capsule, scanning every feature of Roku's body. From the tip of his hair, to the point of his talon, the grid stored all of the information. Roku noticed a screen off to the side, which now read: Scan Complete… moving to phase 2…

After a second delay, another grid began to move from the capsule's top, but this one surprised Roku… _greatly_. As it moved past his body, it disintegrated all of the Tharian's clothing, and by the time it reached the floor, Roku was standing in the capsule, stripped of all his armor and clothes.

"Okay…" Roku muttered to himself.

With little lag, the cleaning station began its next function. A series of jets lining the sides of the capsule fired into action, spraying soapy water in torrents from every direction. The jets began to rotate around him, creating a spinning series of water cleansers that efficiently blasted the Tharian in pretty much every part of his body. Roku had his eyes closed, and after about five seconds of this shear chaos, the jets died down. The next two seconds were occupied by a blast of heated air, which emanated from the ceiling. The air was so strong, that by the time it was over, he was completely dry. Not a drop of water remained.

Lastly, a final holographic grid descended from the ceiling. As it passed over his body, Roku's clothes and armor were restored, phasing back into existence. But this time, they were completely free of the plant's acid. This machine had efficiently cleaned every part of him. Roku had to give the Chimera credit… it was a pretty cool device.

When the restoration was done, the capsule door popped open, and Roku slid out to face his comrades.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Chase said.

"I definitely did not see that coming… but nonetheless, we no longer have to worry about that acid. Good job Arcadia."

"Thanks, Roku. Now… on to the next place!"

"That would be?"

"Our bedrooms of course."

The four of them set off, with the three that were new to the ship following behind Arcadia. They were walking through a complex series of left and right turns, that was made even more complicated when any of them considered the strange truth: they were still sideways… the artificial gravity was just making it hard to notice.

"Wow… how big is this ship anyway?" Chase asked, amazed, "It's way bigger than the Tharak."

"The Tharak is a different class of spaceship," Arcadia explained, "This is meant for long distance expeditions, Roku's ship is meant for skirmishes, battles, and speed."

"Actually," Roku said, entering himself into the conversation, "It had another purpose as well. The New Tharian Empire created the Tharak to be the fastest ship in the galaxy. It was given to me… so that I could reach the center of the galaxy… the goal of all sentient life within Aeron."

"What's so cool about the center of the galaxy?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks. They were amazed at what Chase had asked, and dumbstruck at the tone of his voice.

"What? Just a question…"

"That's right…" Roku realized, "We never told you…"

"Told me what?"

The crew was standing in front of the doors to an elevator, but none of them appeared any more intent on moving towards the bedrooms. Both Maruck and Arcadia were trying to keep themselves from gasping in surprise.

"Understand this… Chase. The Grox, the evil of this galaxy, position their empire in a circle around the center of the galaxy. They guard it with all their lives. Any who approaches is blasted out of the sky. All empires are amazed by their determination, and scared by their technology…. but in the end… this just leads to even more reason… to be curious."

"But why do they… what's in there?"

"I have made it their once before, as have a handful of other captains in the _entire_ history of the Aeron galaxy. I… I… I'm still not sure. There has to be more - significance beyond what I know. But I received the Staff of Life. Do you remember? The device that the Grand Master destroyed… The only thing capable of breaking archon shields…"

"Oh… that thing? What was so special about it?"

"Nothing now… it's gone. But my point remains. I cannot bring myself to believe that what I witnessed in the core was all there is to see. There has to be more… a far off… infinite meaning… but no… I get a non-existent time-share opportunity…

"_What are you talking about?_" Arcadia said, now quite interested.

"I don't know… but if anything is true… it's that this world is far more complicated than any of us assumed. Here we are… on a planet that shouldn't exist… stranded… in the middle of the largest conflict this galaxy has ever seen."

"That pretty much describes our situation…" Arcadia responded, amused, "But that reminds me… we never did have a name for this planet. I don't know how long were gonna be here… so … any ideas?"

"How about… Plantopia," Chase suggested.

"Really, Chase?" Maruck said, "A better name is clearly, Maruck-topolis."

"Guys, come on. Be serious, think."

"How about 'Primo,'" Roku said.

"Huh?"

"It's Thakanese for 'Hidden.' After all… that's what this place is."

"I like it," Chase added, "Almost sounds like 'Primitive.'"

"Primo it is," Arcadia concluded, "Now… how about those bedrooms."

* * *

The elevator came to a halt, shaking a second as it locked into place.

"Here we are… home sweet home."

In the four cardinal directions, the elevator opened separate doors, each one leading to a different bedroom.

"So… which one is which?" Chase asked.

"This one is mine…" Arcadia stated, stepping next to the door that was 'in front' of them, "or… it's the one I normally use anyway, so I see no point in it not being mine. The one on the left can be Roku's… the right can be Chase… and that leaves Maruck with the one back there."

"Excellent," Roku said, examining what was inside of his designated room, "Seriously… I do think we _all_ need some sleep. I mean… Chase, when was the last time we weren't constantly fighting aliens, hopping from one planet to the next?"

"The only time we weren't… was in the Database… and that was nearly a day and a half ago. Dang… we've just been constantly on the move."

"Yeah, we definitely deserve some rest," Maruck commented, "I'm also glad to see that the crew quarters actually held up during the crash. Was that by design?"

"Indeed. The quarters and supply sections of the ship are heavily protected from crash force… basically… for situations like this," Arcadia explained, leaning against the wall next to his room.

"Well then, I'm gonna go get some rest," Chase said, taking a large yawn, and stepping into his room, "You guys have fun… and see ya' tomorrow… whenever that is." Chase took a few steps into his room, and pressed a large button that was situated next to the doorway. The ships automated systems closed the metallic door behind him, locking them in place with a 'click.'

"He's got a point," Maruck affirmed, "I'm feeling a bit tired too."

"We'll then, since that's settled… I guess we'll see each other tomorrow morning," Arcadia stated, looking at everyone in turn for confirmation.

"I guess so," Roku answered.

"Then… yeah. Good night."

"Of course," Roku responded, stepping forward into his room, and closing the door.

"Thanks for the place to stay," Maruck said to Arcadia, "This would never have happened on the Tharak." Arcadia smiled, and Maruck stepped back into his room, slapping the door-close button with his tail as he moved towards his bed.

The Chimera captain sighed, moving back into his room slower than anyone else. An idea had been plaguing his mind for the past day… and he had been trying to put on a fake charade. He had been trying to conceal his true emotions… his pain.

Arcadia was now inside of his quarters, sitting on his bed. The room was fairly typical, with a desk off to the side, and a closet behind that. The bed itself was shaped like an oval, with no real 'front,' and an incredibly comfortable mattress. He had to give credit to those Chimeran scientists… space-age memory foam was seriously amazing. If you couldn't sleep on it… then you were either dead… or a Grox.

Arcadia lay back on his bed, letting out another exasperated sigh. He couldn't believe his situation. Everything had happened so quickly… so unbelievably… that Arcadia had simply pushed the thoughts out of his mind… and trucked onward. But now that he was stuck… all of his emotions had at last… found him again.

Captain Arcadia the Omnipotent… who had single-handedly repulsed every single Grox invasion into Chimera Territory… and blown up his own fare share of Grox outposts… loses in the blink of an eye. The ultimate failure: the destruction of a home world. Phrychous was gone… as was everyone else on his team.

_I can't believe this happened, _Arcadia though, lying on his bed, _Everyone on my team is gone… Gire, Draxus… Tisep… I will never forget you. And now… now… those ALIENS are sleeping in your rooms! I didn't even know them until today. Why is it that I trust them so much? Roku maybe… but what about the other two? Who are they anyway? The brother of the human… killed everyone I know. I'm alone. The Chimera Empire will be in disrepair. Thanks to me. The captain who failed: Arcadia. Everyone will know my name._

_

* * *

_

Days passed. The crew of the wrecked Comet Wasp had yet to discover an escape. Every day, Roku and Arcadia would spend hours attempting to fix the ship's transmitter, and even when they finally got the system up and running, they continued to encounter an unknown error. None of their attempts to send out an SOS were successful. Nobody could hear them. They were stranded.

The ships supply resources were plentiful enough to give them three meals a day, and could probably sustain them in this manner for months on end.

Even after staying in the ship for almost a week, one never really does get used to the artificial gravity. Stepping outside of the ship is one heck of an experience. Roku would leave for extended periods of time, flying around the area, searching for any sign of intelligent life, of which he found none. It didn't make sense. This planet had a teleport nullifier, so where were its creators?

Chase and Maruck would spend the days teaching each other different games, as boredom on this planet was escalating quickly. They needed a solution, or they risked their own sanity. Arcadia got little sleep, as he still wasn't able push the recent events out of his mind. He couldn't allow himself to die on this planet, after everything that had just happened. Nobody even knew where he was…

It was now 6 days later. All four of the crew were outside the Comet Wasp, following Roku, who had claimed to have, _at last,_ found something interesting. They were doubtful of his success, but realized that they had nothing better to do. Anything was better than slowly waiting for their deaths…

"Where is it that you're taking us, Roku?" Chase asked, as he and the rest of his comrades trudged through the thick brush of Primo's forests.

"Someplace I couldn't believe I had missed before. It was technically… very well hidden."

"Then why did you see it at all?"

Roku paused before he gave his answer. He couldn't tell them that a Grox-like creature in a dream had mysteriously given the destination to him. There was no way they would consider him sane after that. It wasn't even until yesterday that he realized that the numbers 37 and 53 were coordinates: The angle from the Comet Wasp, and then the distance. Without the creature's help, he would have never found what they were moving towards.

"Um… I guess I saw something shine below the trees, and I decided to investigate."

"Ok then. How far are we from actually getting where you're taking us?" Arcadia questioned, obviously tired.

"Just a few more minutes. I remember these," Roku answered, pointing at the exceptionally tall trees around them. Their trunks weren't short like the trees around the carnivorous plant. These were incredibly tall, extending at least 25 feet in the air. And instead of having a large bushy top, these had leaves spaced out equally along the entire top half of the trunk. Anyone on Earth would have compared them to 'pine trees.' The distance between the trees was also much greater, allowing a lot more light from Primo's star to pour through, giving the area a much nicer mood.

"Almost feels like were camping," Chase added, "Except for the fact that were stranded."

"Funny," Arcadia sarcastically responded. The crew continued walking for a few more minutes, before something crossed Arcadia's mind. "Roku… why is it that you even came to Phrychous? How did you even know what was happening?"

"We had just been on Barx. You know, Professor Wex?"

"Ah yes, the one that owns the large genetic lab? Yes, he's pretty cool."

"Sorry, but… when we visited that planet… everyone there was dead."

"What? How?"

"They were… they were… investigating the Tesseract… and the Grox intervened."

"Those Grox! Those evil little cybernetic menaces! Why do they try so hard to kill us?"

"Like I said, Wex had been hired by the New Tharian Empire to investigate the Tesseract."

"The what?"

"The thing that has caused all of the conflict that we've seen over the past two weeks. The Grox were 100 percent determined to gain its power."

"Okay… whoa, whoa, whoa. This is way more complicated than I assumed. Tell me what's _actually_ going on here."

"This is everything that we know… or everything that we _think_ we know," Roku explained, "The Tesseract, sometimes referred to as the 'hypercube,' is an object that fell into our galaxy; An object so powerful that it can drastically advance an entire race by simply falling onto one of its worlds. The first race it met… was the Jaxxod, over 300 billion years ago. It turned them into the jewel of the Aeron Galaxy. But then… something happened; Something that wiped all of their glory and morals away. They slowly devolved… into the Grox."

"What?"

"Allow me to finish. Billions of years later, the Tesseract crashed onto Thar, my homeworld. We became what we are today… the second strongest empire in the galaxy."

"This object has been… wait… what?"

"Yes, the success of my empire is thanks to an object beyond comprehension. Also, when particles from the Tesseract are extracted, they release a cascade of toxic gas, that normally kills all living creatures in the vicinity. However… for still _unknown_ reasons… for those who have breathed Earth oxygen, they have some rather interesting side effects. My telekinesis, Chase's fire, and Maruck's electrical manipulation are all a result of this."

"And then… why was Wex attacked?"

"Almost there. Somehow, the Grox are now being manipulated by a figure who calls himself the 'Grand Master.' He seems to control the Empire's every action. He forced an attack on Thar, to retrieve the hypercube. And by using a complete surprise strategy… they were successful. Thar was destroyed."

"WHAT? Why did you never tell me this?"

"I knew you were going through the same pain. I didn't want to add anything to it."

"But the New Tharians… what hope is left in the galaxy? What of the Main Control Tower? If the Grox have possession of that…"

"They do… and if the entire empire hasn't already been obliterated by the dark hand of the Grox, then it is truly a miracle. By everything I know… I am the last of the New Tharians."

"You… no…"

"When Wex attempted to contact us with the results… the Grox heard him. And just because they can… they attacked the facility. That's why we came to Phrychous… to inform you of his death."

"Wex was a good man, but I don't care about that anymore. You are the last of your race? That's not possible… there has to be other survivors."

"There may in fact be. But I have had no contact with _any _other Tharian colonies. So in the end, my point remains: I am the last New Tharian with the ability to do _anything_ against the Grox."

"I'm… I'm… sorry."

"It's alright. After all, you lost your home planet as well."

The two remained silent. Arcadia couldn't believe what he had just learned. Roku had an even worse situation than himself… and yet… he was still as confident as ever.

They walked for at least another ten minutes, when Roku finally came to a stop.

"Here we are."

"There's nothing here," Maruck pointed out, "it's an empty clearing."

"As was the clearing with the carnivorous plant… but don't you remember what happened?"

"What are you saying?"

"There isn't another deadly plant here, obviously. But this _is_ where I was heading." Roku stepped forward, reaching his hand out.

"What are you doing? There's nothing there!"

"Obviously not," Roku said, placing his hand on an invisible object. He was now putting an exceptional amount of force on thin air, something that laws of physics clearly contradicted.

"Wha…"

"And… got it," Roku exclaimed, having moved his hand along the edge of the invisible object, until finding what seemed to be a lever, and pulling down.

Chase, Arcadia, and Maruck were stunned. In a matter seconds, an entire spaceship de-cloaked before them. It was much smaller than the Comet Wasp, comparable in size to that of the Tharak… it even had similar designs. Also quite prevalent, was the fact that it was completely wrecked – lodged into the ground, in total ruin. It seemed to be a miracle that its cloaking systems were still intact. The sight was unbelievable: another ship had crashed on Primo.

"How? How? Where is its owner?" Arcadia exclaimed.

"You know just as much as I do," Roku answered, "I rushed back to retrieve you guys as soon as I discovered the presence of this ship. I do however, recognize the ship itself."

"What is it?"

"It hasn't been used for thousand of years. It's a Class-3 Tharian Fury Vessel."

"What?"

"Used and created by the old Tharians, long before I was ever born."

"How… what… what are the chances?"

"There is no chance. That spacecraft is no longer being produced. This doesn't make any sense. I figure we investigate, what about you guys?"

"Agreed."

"Definitely."

The group gathered around the small vessel, examining its entirety. It certainly _looked _similar to the Tharak, but it had a sort of bulky, outdated feel. It was clearly a last generation model, but at the same time, it looked quite efficient in its own right.

They all stood there, looking at the torn up remains of the Tharian spaceship, and contemplating how it could even be here. Then again… they still had no idea how _they _were here.

"Wait…" Roku muttered, noticing something that seemed to slap him upside the head, "No… _that can't be_."

"What?"

"The serial number… 7742-D… that's… that's…"

"What's significant about that? It's just a number…" Maruck began. Roku was looking at the digits that were etched in the hull of the Old Tharian vessel, staring at them with an expression of amazement, and utter surprise.

"Everyone in my empire knows that number. I can't believe… this can't be where he…"

"WHAT?" Maruck, Chase, and Arcadia exclaimed in unison.

"This ship… belonged to Captain Marks… the legendary lead captain of the old Tharian Empire… and… my ancestor."

* * *

_I'm back in the groove, and I plan on releasing the next chapter soon! Next we get to the anticipated background story..._

_As a side note, I've been collaborating with ravenstarwolf, author of "The Vacor Incident," so you may be seeing a possible crossover within the near future._

_That concludes my Author's note. Hope you guys write some good reviews! (I didn't want to say before, because I thought it would sound like I was desperate, but I turned on Anonymous reviews a long time ago. You don't have to be a member of FanFiction to respond to my work. Just click the awesome button below! After all, the more reviews I get, the more likely I am to release the next chapter sooner...)_


	20. Ancient Whispers

_Here we go, chapter 20! I originally was gonna have this chapter be as long as 17, but then I realized I was holding out on chapter release, so I brought it to a close, and moved the remainder to the next chapter. However, this does mean that it shouldn't be long at all until chapter 21, as I already have part of it complete!_

_This chapter includes reference to ravenstarwolf's "Starlen Empire," so if you haven't read her story yet, then head back over to the Spore archive and check out "The Vacor Incident." Thanks, and I hope you enjoy chapter 20!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**20:** ANCIENT WHISPERS

Commander Civet and Alan came bursting through the Xorgo gateway, immediately closed their eyes, and bowed before their master. They followed his every whim… and were not about to back out now.

"Visitors? At this hour?" the Grand Master spoke, his voice booming through the large cathedral-like room.

Civet spoke first, keeping his head down, "Sir, Phrychous has been destroyed, as to your orders. The Chimera are crippled."

"We believe it is time to move into the next phase," Alan jumped in, "It is clearly an opportune time to do so."

"You two don't know the first thing about opportune time! Let me teach you what you need to know. After all… my two best warriors need to be ready for what's ahead."

"Whatever your request… it is our command."

"I now give your permission, to gaze upon me."

"What…" Civet exclaimed, "But your holy presence… our eyes would burn out…"

"Do not fear. I shall protect your soul from destruction. You must now know what you are following."

Slowly, and incredibly hesitantly, Alan and Civet raised their heads, moving their closed eyes to face the form of the Grand Master. Against everything that told them not too, they opened their eyes, allowing the light from the red atmosphere to pour into their retinas.

They saw him… the Grand Master.

He was sitting atop his throne, his expression of pure determination and power. He was an Amahani… or at least… was. Both Alan and Civet could barely keep themselves from dropping their mouths. For the first time in their lives… they saw the creature that they had followed unhesitantly. This was their savior. Their God.

The Amahani had a pitch black skin tone… and an aura of pure archon energy. The essence of the void… and of the shadows themselves. Civet and Alan were filled with awe at the sight. It was like nothing they had ever seen before.

"Your presence is… truly stunning my lord," Civet stated.

"More than we ever knew…" Alan added.

"We need not discuss further. The stratagem must advance," the Grand Master ordered, "What else are you here to inform me of?"

"We also wondered," Alan explained, stepping forward, "Why we have yet to re-invade Sol III?"

"Do not question my motives," the Grand Master replied, scornfully, "But know this… your presence here, human, is to allow us to continue on schedule _without_ the hassle of sending our entire fleet to the other end of the galaxy. Remember your purpose, Alan."

"Yes… and that reminds me. I have made more progress on the entanglement device."

"Excellent… what exactly does this entail?"

"In order for the tesseract to fully open the quantum gateway… we need an energy supply of over 14 xetons of dark energy. Of course… I'm sure _you _know where we can find something strong enough to produce that."

"Of course. I am your god, am I not?"

"I have never hesitated on that matter."

"Good. Now… that energy supply. There's only one empire in this galaxy that has mastered the use of dark energy more than ourselves."

"Of course, my lord," Civet said, "the New Tharians."

* * *

Coyott sat comfortably in his observation post, in a watchtower above the surface of the Starlen Empire's home world. He had the exceptionally tedious job of monitoring captains' mission logs, sending captains out on other missions, and finally congratulating the captain for finishing their task. Well… it wasn't just him. Coyott was joined by a crew of other Starlens, that would all monitor and communicate with the many signals and transmissions that came through the empire; The _many_ signals that came through the empire. This watchtower was actually part of a much larger complex – the Starlen Empire Mission Headquarters, where all forms of space-age business were sent through… like one giant hub. No captain left the planet without talking to one of the Starlen mission control operatives; it was standard procedure. Coyott was the lead communicator, and was therefore alone at the top of the watchtower. He spent the most time talking with the empire's captains, and therefore endured one of the planet's most stressful jobs… but he was used to it.

Bleep… Bleep… Bleep.

"Huh?" Coyott remarked, turning to face the holo-monitor. He had been within quite a brief period of relaxation, only to be yanked out by another message.

But this was different. He couldn't believe what he saw.

In surprise, he quickly grabbed his communicator off to the right. It was a small squarish device that allowed him talk to the other operatives throughout the headquarters. Right now, he was attempting to contact Quinto, the head of the astronomy department. If anyone knew about what he was seeing, it would be him.

"Yes, what is it Coyott?"

"My holo-screen is showing something rather peculiar…"

"And that would be?"

"Well… I'm getting an SOS signal from the coordinates 21642ΔAE but as far as I'm concerned… there's nothing within that space… can you confirm?"

"Just a sec…" Quinto muttered, "Yeah… there are no recorded star systems in that area… you sure its not coming from a spacecraft of some kind?"

"I'm sure… the signal had to be corrected for atmosphere distortion… meaning that it came from planet… but nothings there…"

"Well… are you gonna' send someone out to investigate?"

"Of course… well… most of the captains are already on route to the Chimera home system… after they sent out a massive distress signal. After all… we're the closest level-8 empire to them, we had to do something."

"I know that. So… who are you going to send?"

"Uh… Aster I suppose…"

"Even after what happened with the Vacors? Do you remember that fiasco? Seriously… are we even allowed to send her on missions anymore?"

"We are… and that situation was just bad luck. It wasn't her fault."

"Whatever… I need to get back to work."

"As do I." Coyott closed the connection.

"Well then… time to see what that SOS says…" Coyott said, touching different portions of the screen. He pulled up the text. It was short and simple.

_This is captain Roku, Arcadia, and Maruck. Please… we need your help. We do not know how much longer we will be able to stay here. Whoever hears this… send someone…_

* * *

_ 30 minutes earlier…_

Anxiety and disbelief gripped the four captains as they scrambled towards where Roku was standing. The serial number was clear as day. Roku was right; This was the ship of his ancestor.

"No way…" Arcadia exclaimed, "I've heard stories of him… the captain that brought enlightenment to his empire… by reaching the center of the galaxy… until he… disappeared."

"And this is… his ship?" Chase asked.

"Yes," Roku responded, "But this couldn't be where he ended up?... How could it?"

"The same way we got here," Maruck pointed out, "Systems stop responding, the radar tells you nothing… and then… WHAM. You're stranded."

The four captains stood, completely dumbstruck, as they stared at the most unbelievable thing they had seen so far. On the same planet they had crashed… so had the legendary Captain Marks.

Arcadia quickly went to work with cutting another hole in the side of the ship. This vessel was small, so he didn't have to worry about the location of corridors. A minute or so later, Arcadia had successfully removed a chunk of the black metal and tossed it to the side.

"In we go," the Chimera stated.

The four of them climbed through open rectangle, stumbled onto the ships floor, and slid down to the main control panel, quickly losing their balance. They fell over, smashing undesirably into the front of the ship.

"Darn," Maruck said, rubbing his head, "No artificial gravity… this ships been dead for a long time."

While the angle that Marks' vessel was at was not nearly as hard to walk on as Arcadia's spacecraft, it still remained relatively difficult to retain a normal standing position. The interior of the ship was as large as a normal apartment living space, with the walls made of the same dark metal that was in the Tharak.

"If I'm correct," Roku responded, looking around, "This ship is over 5000 years old… how could it be preserved like this?"

"Your guess is as good as mine… what are we in here looking for anyway?" Arcadia said, examining the control panel in the front of the ship.

"Any sort of captain log, or data packet, or… pretty much any information on what happened."

"Got it…" Arcadia responded, going to work pressing buttons on the interface in front of him.

"Anything I can do?" Chase asked.

"Not really; Do you know how to decode Thakanese binary?"

"No."

"Then yeah, you can't really help here."

Chase was a bit disappointed… but then again, he was essentially the new kid in the group. Everyone else here had been a captain for years… how long had he been doing this? 2 weeks? Maybe?

_Come to think of it,_ Chase thought, _Am I… even really a captain yet?_

"Dang…" Arcadia muttered.

"What is it?" Roku asked, stepping next to Arcadia.

"The system is too badly damaged to let me even _hack _past the protocols. Really… were lucky any of the main computer systems are intact at all. Do you have any idea what kind of protocols Marks might have set up?"

"It's not like we ever talked face to face."

"Well I know _that_… but… what are we going to do?"

"Did you try a defiler script?" Maruck asked from behind.

"That may work in last-gen Scorpnak computers, but this is legitimate tricoded neutron binary… thousands of years more advanced than what you have."

"Burn…" Chase muttered.

"Okay, but you don't have to be so mean about it."

"Gosh… there has to be a way into the system…" Roku commented, looking around, as if he might miraculously find a solution.

"Wait… I have an idea," Chase spoke up.

"Not now Chase, we need to focus on this," Roku said, turning back to the interface panel, and pressing buttons on an apparatus vaguely similar to a keyboard. "You don't even have experience in this matter."

"What if we used a double-access viral strand?" Arcadia questioned, still working at the front of the ship.

"We're not going to break the ship before we can even see what's it has to hold."

"Guys… I'm pretty sure I have something that will help…" Chase tried to speak up.

"Maybe a single-access?"

"Guys… seriously."

"Possibly… I don't see any problems with that. Doubt it will work though."

"Come on! I know _this_ will work!"

"Agh… this system isn't advanced enough to handle single-access… what now?"

"Listen to me!"

"Maybe a…"

Chase grew just a bit too impatient. He pushed his way past the rest of his comrades, forcing Arcadia out of the way.

"What are you?..."

Chase reached into his side pocket and pulled out an _Energy Key._

"How about this!" Chase exclaimed, jamming the key forward and into the center of the interface panel. The device lit up, emitting a soft humming noise.

"What... you… how many of those do you have?" Roku asked, staring at Chase's device.

"I stole a total of three of these from Area 51. The first you gave back to the president, the second is now inside a black hole back on Kepla-2, and the third… is right here."

"Awesome… um… thanks, Chase," Roku responded hesitantly, obviously embarrassed for not letting Chase attempt this earlier.

"What does it do?" Arcadia asked.

"It sends an overriding triple-access code through any electronic system it touches, giving total control to the user. It's the ultimate hacking device…it can take control of anything remotely technological," Roku explained.

Chase began fiddling with the little knobs on the side of the device. After a few moments, a holographic screen appeared before the four creatures in the ship. It was the interface's main menu… already past the layers of security.

"See… told ya' it would work."

"Great… now let's see what we can find on Marks…" Arcadia muttered, his four hands moving furiously across the surface of the interface panel. His extra limbs gave him astonishing speed in this matter.

"Look for any sort of log or journal, or… something," Roku said, right over Arcadia's shoulder.

"Got it… captain's log… there's six of them. Shall I read them?"

"Go right ahead… we need to know what happened."

Arcadia pulled up another screen, with a decent sized blob of text on it. He took a breath, and read Marks' journal out loud.

_How many days have gone by? I'm not sure any more. The world outside this planet has become a blur… I wish I could escape… but I can't. Captain Marks… the one who brought enlightenment to his empire… stranded until his death. This cannot be…_

_ I remember back in the old days… the Tharian Empire was in its infancy, having just reached the age of space travel. They were greedy, carnivorous… and… a warrior empire of all things. They desired conquest of the whole galaxy. The only thing that stood in front of them… was the Grox. I could not let my own empire become such savages! They were of course… not that powerful at the moment. But they grew stronger… until one day, they sent me… their lead captain… in an attempt to reach the core._

"Wow…" Chase said, "So… this Marks dude was trying to change the ways of his empire?"

"Yes…" Roku explained, "I've heard this story before. We remember him as our empire's great savior… his heart filled with compassion instead of hate."

"Okay… here's the next one," Arcadia said, opening his mouth to read the second log entry.

_Speaking of the past drives me insane. I can do nothing to escape this planet. All of my attempts to send out a signal have failed… there's nothing left. I only continue to speak of events that once were… so that if anyone finds me… then they can learn my tale…_

_ I reached the core. I couldn't believe it. My crew and I plummeted into the galactic core, spiraling into the infinitely unknown. There was a voice… so loud… so powerful… speaking of things beyond my comprehension. "World's unseen and yet connected…" What did that mean? Other universes? "Your diverse far flung siblings…" Was it speaking of the grox… or something yet to be encountered? It seemed like this consciousness was reason enough to have traveled as far as I did. It seemed so mighty… and glorious… but then…_

_ Steve._

_ I still don't know. He was there. The circular ship… capable of speaking through the vacuum of space… into my very soul it seemed… but whatever he was… he was never what I expected. Loud… high pitched… annoying. I could not believe it! How could this be the answer to everything the Grox were fighting for! How could this tiny little pathetic ship be the reason the Grox guarded the center of the Aeron galaxy for as long as anyone can remember! How could Steve be the reason millions of people had died at the hands of the darkest empire to have ever existed in this universe! There had to be more…_

"This was… what you saw in the galactic core as well?" Arcadia asked, looking curiously at Roku.

"Yes… and to this day I have no idea what it was about… But I have a transcript of Steve's words… that I keep with me most of the time… until I may one day learn what they truly mean. Would you like to hear them?"

"Of course."

"Here it is…" Roku said, pulling a small piece of paper out of his pocket, "_Greetings my friend! __You have traveled very far and overcome many obstacles. __Along the way you have encountered many of your diverse, far-flung siblings-__precious few of them will make it this far. __Your heroic efforts have proven you deserving, __worthy of advancement to the next level of your existence. __The universe you inhabit is but one of many__countless worlds, unseen but yet connected. __Your creative efforts have not gone unnoticed. __Indeed they have spilled into these other, unseen worlds... __just as your world has been enriched by them. __It is now time for you to join us-__Join us! Mwahahahaha! __No, just kidding. It's not scary. __Indeed... The times ahead, they are good. __Really, really good. __Some of you may ask, who is this mysterious voice who knows so much and possesses such great powers? __I'm glad you asked..._

_ I'm Steve!_

_ You are now to be given the power. __Yes, that's right, THE POWER. __The power to create and spread life, intelligence and understanding throughout the cosmos. __Use this power wisely. __Use this power so that we may one day become AS ONE...__that is... I mean...__in a metaphorical sense. __Oh... one last thing. __We are nearly sold out on the last phase of a wonderful time-share opportunity on one of our larger stars-and a rare planet in its orbit. __If you were in the neighborhood, we'd love to have you by for a free breakfast and short presentation. __Just look for the__third rock from sol."_

"And then… what?" Maruck asked, in awe at what Roku had just read.

"I received the Staff of Life; The device that could terraform entire planets in an instant… and I'm sure the same scenario unfolded before Marks. And I'm not surprised… Marks thinks the same as I do; there has to be more. How could this tiny little ship explain all of the destruction we have gone through?"

"What more could there be?" Arcadia questioned.

"The 'third rock from sol…'" Roku responded, "Is Earth – Chase's home planet. A world where the tesseract gas acts differently… a world where a kronon lock persisted for billions of years… what is really going on here…"

"Let's read the next entry," Arcadia stated, turning back to the panel, and pulling up the next page, "Whoa… this ones a bit longer."

_My voyage into the galactic center brought newfound enlightenment to my stubborn and militaristic empire. They became scientists, and to this day are intent on continuing the pursuit of the mind… not the conquest of the galaxy. My work was a success – but as one problem is solved, another presents itself._

_ Who is Steve?_

_ I spent the next twelve years of my life researching everything I could about ancient empires. There was nothing helpful. I looked everywhere… in every corner of every empire's database that I could find… and nothing. Whatever I was looking for… nobody had recorded. It wasn't until I thought about what Steve had said… that I realized he had been instructing me to do something._

_ While I had already noticed the statement about Sol III, upon my initial visit, I found nothing. It was T1, with no life except for bacteria and plants. The planet was in an evolutionary period somewhere between the cell and creature phases… and in turn, no sentient life was there. It didn't make sense… Steve had mentioned a "time-share" opportunity… where was it? Of all the precious captains that had visited the core before… how many have come here? I left, not taking a moment to notice the obvious piece of the puzzle that I was missing._

_ Steve gave me the staff of life; A device that could terraform planets in an instant. I rushed back to Sol III, realizing what needed to be done. Without hesitating, I released a charge of the life-giving staff onto the planet. I watched in amazement as the life began to take shape. Animals walked the surface… creatures of all shapes and sizes… the world of Sol III was born. It worked. I also added a few touches of my own… Using the new Tharian genetic preconscious code… I was able to add a bit of my own DNA into the sub-sequence of the emerging sentient life on the planet. Just a small bit of myself persisted within the dominate species of the planet. I made sure… that there would be a line of creatures with my name… Marks. They would have my bravery… and hopefully… my skill. I know that one day… a descendant of this sub-sequence will travel out into the stars. The first of his or her species… of the family of Marks._

"Oh…" Roku realized, spinning on the spot. His eyes locked with Chase's, who was equally as shocked. They stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, the tension endless.

"I… no…" Chase stuttered, in disbelief.

"I thought it was a coincidence… but you… your name… Chase Andrew Marks. The first of your species to truly experience space travel… how you were so quickly able to become captain material. It wasn't just that you had experience as a thief… you are… in a way… related to Captain Marks."

"WHAT?" Chase exclaimed, looking back and forth between Roku and the holo-screen, "But… this… doesn't that make me related to _you _as well?"

"Not directly… but yeah. That is kinda weird."

"This is just…. But… how could… so Marks used his staff to create life on my planet… but we still don't know why he ended up here. Keep reading, Arcadia," Chase said, eager to learn more.

"On it," Arcadia responded, switching pages again, "Entry number 4:

_It was then that I noticed the energy. After my terraforming of Sol III, a large burst of unidentifiable particles rippled past my spaceship. I turned my ships scanners up to the maximum, recording as much data as I could. I had no idea what had happened. I rushed back to the Tharian science headquarters, and they were… after much investigation… able to figure out its origin._

_ It was a Kronon Lock. When I used my staff of life, I broke the lock that had been holding the evolution on Sol III in place for… apparently… billions of years. Hundreds of billions of years. I was astounded. For how many years had those lucky enough to reach the core gone to Sol III… only to leave disappointed. They were expecting something grand… that didn't exist. I needed to know more, and now… I had something specific to research: Kronon Locks._

_ Navigating my way through the endless amount of information stored in the Tharian Archives… I discovered something that seemed to hit me over the head with its amazing explanation. Acoording to historians, a long time ago, when the galaxy was young, the first few emerging empires participated in "time-shares." Not unlike the ones we have today, certain empires would purchase a slot of time to use a designated planet. What shocked me was the way they went about doing this. Instead of placing a low-powered shield around the planet like we do today, when no one was using the time-share, the planets were place in a KRONON LOCK, the device capable of freezing a planet until it was used again. That was it! So simple and elegent. It made sense now. That being within the core… whoever he was… was sending me a message. He wanted those who reached the core to use the staff on earth. The "time-share" he was talking about was long gone… whatever empire that created it was extinct. Yet he gave me the device capable of breaking the Kronon Lock… and giving Sol III control of itself once again. _

_ I may not live to see what becomes of this planet, but I know… the story cannot end here._

"No… it can't," Maruck muttered.

"Amazing…" Roku said, leaning against the metal wall, "the time-share… was earth. The Jaxxod… the grox… the tesseract… the staff… steve… agriath… my spode! There are _so_ many variables in this nonsensical mess!"

"Let's hope this last entry can smooth things out…" Arcadia said, beginning to read one again.

_Inevitably, it wasn't long before I heard legends of the Jaxxod. After months of researching Kronon Locks and the history of Sol III (albeit the fact that it had no history, thanks to the lock) I came across their tale. After I revealed to the galaxy the existence of earth's kronon lock, many of the Zealot empire's began releasing these stories… these myths… that the fabled Jaxxod had set up the lock. I shrugged it off, but eventually became curious enough to organize a meeting with one of the Poppero (zealot ally of the Tharians) priests. He told me the story that blew me away._

_ He called it "The Tale of Tesseract."_

_ It was a prophecy that was no longer written in the book of Spode. Hadok, the priest, told me that he was one of the few the even remembered it. Small snippets of the story remained within the book of spode, but the tale in its entirety was rarely spoken. He told it as follows:_

_**"An object came into our world, streaking into our presence. It is, was, and will always be the vein of this world's existence. It found its way… far down into our plane… Onto the world of Xorgo it crashed, the world of the Jaxxod. They were intrigued by its power… its very nature of immense infinity. It arrived in the year 3659b6, and at an alarming rate, it advanced them faster than any monolith, faster than anything natural by Spode's law. **_

_** The Jaxxod empire thrived for billions of years at the heart of our galaxy. They were leaders in science and technology, and many regarded them as the ultimate power. The empire's home world, Xorgo, was a thriving metropolis. They were the strongest empire for their time, and their lead captain, Stekvan Gallindo, vowed to make sure his empire was protected from all forces of evil. **_

_** Their greed overpowered their rationality. They resorted to pride, and before they knew it, they had opened the gates of Dark Hollow, allowing the infinite darkness to pour into the physical world. Stekvan stood against it, his bravery shining like a star, using the light of Spode to cast the evil away. His success came at a price, and he now remains locked away, as the guardian of darkness, forever protecting our existence.**_

_** But he cannot remain there forever. Only Spode is forever, and one day, the evil of the hollow will once again ravage the universe. Nothing can stop it. The very thing that brought the start of this destruction will fall again, brining with it another race of unmitigated power. The galaxy will fight for control over it. A war will come… and an end will never be in sight. **_

_** But in this chaos… in this never-ending night… there is hope. Spode will not let his creation fall. Spode is everything, and everything is spode.**_

_** Three will rise… to conquer the darkness, the False God That Will Come, brought upon this world by the evil… of the Tesseract."**_

_I was amazed. It was the last piece of the puzzle. My quest was complete. This was the prophecy that foretold the secrets within the core. I realize now, that I will not ever fully understand who Steve was… but regardless… I have learned as much as I can within my lifetime, and I am grateful. I will not live to see the day, but this prophecy will be fulfilled, I am sure of it… for everything I have seen in my life points towards this fate. Let us hope… that the captains within this legend exist._

"Amazing…" Roku said, looking at the holo-screen with his mouth wide open, "He discovered the truth behind this big mess… well… not entirely, but he did more than anyone had for 300 billions years. And isn't it too much of a coincidence… that the 'tale of tesseract' includes the name of the object that no one had yet to even discover the true name of?"

"Yeah… but, I still haven't figured this out," Chase jumped in, "300 billion years? How's that possible? According to scientists on earth… the universe has only been around for 13 and a half billion years."

"That's not accounting for galactic kronon distortion, universal drift, and dark energy feedback."

"Of course… I assumed it would be something I didn't understand."

"Last entry, Arcadia."

"Here we go." Arcadia taking a large breath, "This one is much shorter." He began reading the final log entry.

_ But now… now… I am stuck on this planet. In my searching of the galaxy… I detected an area of space that was emitting a rather similar energy; Energy exactly like that of my staff. I was astounded, and quickly approached it… and… here I am. Out of nowhere… this planet appeared, pulling me into its gravity. There was nothing I could do, and the atmosphere of this planet remains as stubborn as ever, refusing to let any of my SOS signals break through. For some reason, a field of archon energy persists around the outside of this planet. That was what tore my ship up… causing me to crash and it's what prevents my transmissions from reaching anyone. The field is too far up for my staff to reach… so I sadly come to the conclusion… that I'm out of luck. No one even knows I'm here._

_ This is my last captain log. I hope that if anyone finds me… one day… that they will be able to learn my story… that they will be able to prepare themselves for the destruction that is to come. For my sake… remember the truth… The Tale of Tesseract._


	21. Spark of Death

_Okay... chapter 21... the conclusion of the Primo mini-arc. Hope you enjoy! __I would have had this chapter out earlier, but I got caught up in the delicious turkey-ness of thanksgiving break. Well... here it is._

_I haven't done it in a LONG time (as in the first chapter)... so here's my disclaimer:_

_The amazing world of Spore/the Grox/the Poppero - Maxis and EA_

_The Tesseract/Roku/Chase/Maruck/the Jaxxod - Me_

_Chimera/Arcadia - AtWarWithGrox_

_Starlen/Aster - ravenstarwolf_

_Anyway... let the chapter begin!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**21:** SPARK OF DEATH

"We will," Roku stated, "We have to get off this planet."

"How are we going to go about doing that?" Arcadia asked, "We're stranded, just like him. And you heard Marks… a great captain like him… admitted that there was nothing he could do. Do you realize what happened to him? The only reason this ship is still here is thanks to the anti-decay Tharian metal, the body of Marks would have died and been decomposed thousands of years ago!"

"First," Roku responded, confidently, "Calm down. And second, remember what Marks said. His _staff of life_ could not reach the archon energy."

"What are you getting at?"

"Marks _staff of life._"

"Huh?"

"Think Arcadia. If this is where Marks crashed, then what else would be here?"

"Oh…"

Roku turned back to the interface, pulling levers and pushing buttons on the touch screen. He brought up a voice recognition screen.

"Open terraforming module," Roku stated, "Release biorod." Seconds later, between the four captains, a device materialized. It was being beamed into the main room from the ship's cargo hold, slowing taking shape and physical form. Roku smiled; he could not have been more pleased to see the device once again. It was long and white, with two half-moon curves at the top. Between them, was a glowing field of green energy. The entire device seemed to pulse with light, giving off an aura of glorious positive energy.

"The staff of life," Chase stuttered.

"Marks' staff of life," Roku pointed out.

"What do you plan on doing with it?" Maruck asked, looking directly at the staff's glowing top, clearly mesmerized.

"What we've been trying to do since we got here… get off of this planet." Roku took a moment to stare at the staff, seemingly lost in thought. "This has to work." Roku ran back to the rear of the ship, quickly climbing through the rectangular opening, and out into the forests of Primo.

It was completely random. Nobody else inside Marks' vessel had any idea what had just happened, and why Roku left so urgently.

"Okay…" Arcadia muttered, dumbstruck by Roku's behavior. The rest of them climbed out of the ship after Roku, who was already beginning a fast pace back towards the Comet Wasp.

"What are you doing?" Arcadia exclaimed picking up his pace as they tried to catch up with the Tharian. They had fully exited Marks' ship, and were now striding across the forest pathway. Roku still had the staff gripped in his hands.

"What I should have done the moment we realized who's ship that was," Roku called back, obviously not intent on slowing down.

"And that would be?"

"Your ship… does it have a signal inversion magnifier?"

"If it does… then that's _not_ what my empire called it."

"The thing that takes a signal and encrypts it using an external energy wavelength?"

"Oh yeah… the inversion resonator…. Why would you need that?"

"Think… a thick layer of archon energy surrounds this planet. That's what caused our engines to fail, and what stopped our SOS attempts from breaking through."

"Yeah… but Marks said that even if the staff was used, the energy didn't get high enough to touch that layer."

"Ah… but what if we were able to encrypt one of our signals using energy from the staff of life? What then?"

"Oh… that's brilliant! The signal would break through the archon field, going out to wherever we sent it!"

"All we have to do is…."

They never saw it coming. One of the tall pine-like trees on the side of the pathway was bent over… but not naturally. It was at an angle that would have required sentient interference. The entire thing was literally curved over, so that

the branches of the tree hovered feet above Roku.

"What in the…"

The branches were swaying… almost like they were reaching out… trying to touch the Tharian. It was like the tree was… alive.

"What's happening?" Chase asked, "Are you doing that?"

One of the branches came right up close to Roku's face, with a small round stump at the end. The leaves were swaying all over the entire plant, giving it an incredibly eerie appearance. Then… the stump on the end of the branch _opened._ Roku was completely in awe.

It was an _eye._ The end of the branch had an eye on it, clear as day. The pupil was looking up and down Roku's figure, examining the staff of life for the longest time. It was unbelievable… this plant was looking and thinking on its own.

"What… what are you doing?" Roku asked, not sure if the plant could even respond. The eyeball looked up at the captain's face, seemingly unable to express emotion. It just stared right into Roku's eyes, not blinking once.

And then, it attacked.

A branch came swinging around, striking Roku in the side. He slammed into the ground, doing a short roll, before jumping back to his feet. Another branch came swinging around, but this time, Roku jumped up as fast as he could, allowing the plants blow to pass harmlessly under his talons. He glided back to the ground, just in time to notice a third branch moving in from above. There was nothing to do about this one… it was going to hit Roku square in the head…

But then, it didn't. The branch curled around the staff of life in Roku's hands, tugging on it harshly. It was obviously what it wanted. The entire tree was bent over, pulling back with all its might, trying to gain possession of Marks' staff. If he moved either of his hands off the staff to attack, he risked losing it completely, something he _did not _want to do.

"I could use a little help here!"

Arcadia was already on it, having leaped towards the branch, poison blade extended. _Slash._ The blade sliced through the branch, causing the rest of the tree to snap back due to its own inertia. Roku pulled the limp branch off of the staff, and stared back at the tree. It was writhing and shaking, almost like it was in pain…

"What in the world was that?" Maruck exclaimed, completely dumbstruck.

"It wanted the staff…" Roku said, trying to catch his breath, "But… why?"

The tree stopped swaying, coming to a discomforting stop. Something wasn't right…

The leaves all began to vibrate, as the tree itself emitted a loud, ear-piercing noise. It sounded like the chirping of a thousands insects… all releasing their spine-tingling noise at once. It felt as if the ground was shaking, due to the immense noise.

"What is it doing!" Chase screamed, trying to make himself heard over the sound.

"My guess… calling its friends," Roku responded, pointing to the trees around them.

This wasn't good. The trees in their entire view… appeared to be… _waking up._

The leaves were vibrating, with the branches steadily beginning to move as well. They were completely surrounded… with no direct route to safety. This entire planet was covered in trees, bushes, and plants… if they were all as smart as this one… and they _all _desired the staff in Roku's hands… then the fight was hopeless. In a few more moments… the rest of the plants would begin their attack on the four captains… they were severely outnumbered.

"What do we do?"

Roku stood there for a moment, lost in thought. There was only one option left.

"RUN!"

They took off, sprinting as fast as they could, and not looking back. They could hear the branches swaying, knocking into each other as they regained consciousness. How did they even have consciousness? They dared not stop or slow down… it would be a complete gamble for their life.

"We do have a plan, right?" Chase exclaimed.

"If I did I would tell you."

"No you wouldn't."

"True… but that doesn't matter now! Keep moving!"

WHAM.

A large tree trunk came slamming down from above. The four captains scurried away from its shadow, just seconds before it impacted the ground. Once the dust cleared, Chase realized it had separated the group in two, with Roku and Arcadia on the far side, and Maruck and himself on this side.

"How do we get through?" Maruck questioned, frantically looking around. The trunk was thick and thorny. There wasn't really a conventional way to climb over it.

Then, another trunk came slamming down behind Chase and Maruck. They gasped, looking around at their enclosed space. The plants had them trapped. And of course…. the two trunks came sliding together, their sharp thorns, and solid, immovable wood proving to be nothing but horrifying. The many branches and leaves between the two trees tangled together, making it impractical to even try and use the jump jet to escape.

"Oh no you don't!" Chase exclaimed. The human brought his hands back, forming a sphere of fire in his palms. "Now the fun starts." Chase brought his hands above his head, allowing the compressed thermal energy to expand in a torrent towards the branches above. They were lit aflame.

The fire spread violently throughout the entwined canopies, working its way to the two separate trunks. The blaze was eating away at the trees' bark, charring their surface. The two trees came off the ground, snapping back up to their regular position. They were still on fire, the heat radiating outwards. They were writhing back and forth, once again creating that feeling as if they were… in pain…

Roku and Arcadia were now visible, gesturing to keep moving.

"Not even a moment of appreciation," Chase muttered, taking off running with Maruck and the rest of the crew.

They kept up their pace, trying desperately to stay ahead of the ravenous plant-creatures that were attacking them, as they slowly seemed to wake up. It was like a wave was spreading across the forest, causing all the plants to "come alive."

"We're still really far from the ship… what are we hoping to do?" Maruck questioned, using his Scorpnak speed to rush up next to Roku and Arcadia.

"Run now… talk later!" Arcadia responded, keeping up his pace.

"STOP!" Roku shouted, coming to an abrupt halt, and thrusting his wings out to either side. This forced the rest of his comrades to stop running as well.

"What?" Chase asked, stepping around Roku.

"That." He was pointing at the clearing they were about to run into.

They gasped. It was that very same grass… the mouth of another carnivorous plant, like the one that that tried to devour the four of them.

"Another one?" Arcadia said, examining the plant.

"I should have noticed it before…" Roku said, "That plant had strange sentience… it was somehow alive… remember? It was whining in pain when we harmed it… all the plants on this world… have been waiting for the right moment to strike…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Chase stated.

"Look around! We're being chased by them right now! We need a way to get back to the Comet Wasp and fast!"

"Dang… if only we could use that stupid teleport! We _have_ a field to field teleporter, we should freakin' be able to _use_ it!" Chase shouted, frustrated.

"But that's it…" Arcadia realized, "We may not be able to use the short-range teleport… but we may have a chance with the Comet Wasp's beaming teleport! You know… the one I used to take Roku out of the Tharak, the 'static to field' teleporter."

"Isn't that blocked by the nullifier as well?"

"Not always… and depending on how old the nullifier on this planet is… it may not recognize the Chimera wavelength. It _will _be able to adjust… so we have to be quick about it."

"About what?"

"You sure you fixed the Comet Wasp's beam?"

"I hope. Ready? 3… 2… 1… NOW!" Arcadia pressed a button on his wrist watch-like control device. The four captains were encapsulated in white light, before dematerializing. They escaped just in time, as the trunk of another large tree came crashing down on the place they had once stood.

The teleport was incredibly rough. It felt like they were being yanked around, knocking into invisible objects. They could see the shining swirling colors of the wormhole, as it twisted and turned in higher dimensions. What was happening?

Everything was slowing down. Something was wrong with the teleport. The blue light was being replaced with a foreboding red glow. The wormhole was ripping… hyperspace was collapsing. They were falling through infinity… surrounded by darkness.

WHAM!

They slammed into the dirt, sliding around, before coming to a painful halt. Chase opened his eyes, looking around at his surroundings. They were back in the shadow of the Comet Wasp. They weren't inside, like the teleport should have done, they were in the wrecked clearing that the Wasp had creating upon impact. They had fallen short of their destination.

"What in the world…" Arcadia muttered, getting up as well.

"I was worried that would happen…" Roku said, off to the side, "The nullifier quickly recognized the new wavelength and compensated. It cut the link… we're lucky we made it this close. But this means… we won't be able to use the beam again."

"Oh well… what now?"

As if they knew… the trees along the edge of the clearing began to rustle and shake back and forth.

"They're still waking up… even here."

"Then let's get inside the ship… wait… where's Maruck?" They all spun on the spot, looking around for the scorpnak captain. "Maruck?"

"Over here."

Arcadia was the first to reach the captain. He was lying on the ground… his right leg impaled with a large piece of shrapnel.

"Oh… that doesn't look too good."

"You're telling me?"

Roku came up behind them. "Ah, Yes. Teleporting into a debris field… not the best thing to do."

Maruck was taking deep breaths, trying not to look at the large piece of titanium that was lodged in his skin.

"How are you going to get that out?" Chase asked, in shock, "We need to stop him from losing blood."

"I have an idea," Arcadia said, leaning close to Maruck, "Okay… I'm going to do something really fast. It's not going to hurt a bit… so just stay calm… okay?"

"Okay."

"1… 2…" _YANK!_ Arcadia grabbed hold of the end of the metal shard, and pulled back with all his might, the shard quickly coming out of Maruck's leg, and the chimera continued to toss it to the side. At the same time, Maruck let out a cry of utter pain. His entire leg was stinging like mad.

"What the heck, Arcadia! You said that wouldn't hurt!"

"You see… I lied."

Maruck was obviously mad, but at the same time glad that a piece of shrapnel was no longer in his leg.

"We need to get him on the ship… there's some medical equipment we can use."

Roku and Chase took off towards the Wasp, with Roku still gripping Marks' staff tightly in his hands. Arcadia picked up Maruck with his four arms, as he was currently incapable of walking with his injured leg. They all sprinted towards the open rectangle, barely slowing down as they jumped through the opening and switched gravity.

They jogged down the corridor, finding their way to the main command deck. The iris door opened as they neared it, and they sped into the Comet Wasp's bridge. It was still in chaos, but over the last few days, Roku and Arcadia had managed to repair some of the systems. The chairs were turned over, and glass shards littered the ground.

"No time to lose!" Roku exclaimed, spreading his wings, and jumping up towards Arcadia's raised captain platform. He glided onto its surface, instantly moving towards the computer panel.

"What's the rush?" Chase said, "We're safe, there aren't any plants alive in this clearing!"

"Oh yeah?"

There was a resounding thud, as something hit the side of the ship. They felt the entire Comet Wasp shake, and then… another slam. Something was trying _really _hard to inflict damage on the hull.  
"What the…"

"Yeah… now your getting it," Roku said, "There's a whole root system under the surface of Primo… were being hit by vines that sprouted out from there."

"How do you know?"

"Take a look." Roku turned one of the monitors to face the other three. On it was footage from the ship's exterior camera. Three or four large, thick vines were slamming into the side of the ship. The plants were _still_ attacking them. Off to the side, another vine came sprouting out of the ground, immediately beginning its own assault on the ship.

"Why are they trying so hard to kill us?" Arcadia exclaimed.

"Beats me," Roku said, "But we still have one more little beacon of hope…" The Tharian raised the staff in front of the panel. A holographic grid came out and scanned the surface of the rod, displaying the message "Energy signature saved…"

"I sure hope this inversion resonator works!" Roku slammed down on another button, causing the screen to change, and display "Record Message…"

Roku anxiously began speaking, "_This is captains Roku, Arcadia, and Maruck. Please… we need your help. We do not know how much longer we will be able to stay here. Whoever hears this… send someone!"_

Roku closed the recording, moving his hand over to press send. He pushed down, and the screen lit up with a delightful confirmation. The SOS had made it through the atmosphere.

"Yes!" Roku shouted, "It worked!"

"Great… now what do we do?" Chase asked.

Another vine bashed into the Comet Wasp's hull, shaking the entire vessel. But then… they stopped. There was a strange silence, where the vines seemed to just retreat back into the ground

"Oh no…" Roku realized, looking up at what would normally be the Comet Wasps main window, where the personnel would look out into space.

But now… all they could see was glass and dirt. When the ship had crashed, it had been forced into an almost 80 degree angle… with part of the ship… underground. The command deck was below the surface of Primo. The window was the perfect entrance…

It happened as the tharian had expected. Three vines came bursting through the soil, having realized where their target truly was. Now… three exceptionally powerful, and deadly, plant appendages were flailing violently around the inside of the command deck, smashing into all of the equipment and interface panels. They couldn't see the captains… so they were simply trying to destroy _everything._

"Get back!" Roku shouted, "Get as far away from the window as possible!"

Chase and Arcadia scurried back to the wall farthest from the vines.

Right in the center of the mess, another large plant-creature seemed to sprout from the soil. It was large and oval shaped, as if it were containing something. It was like a gigantic flower-bud, with clearly defined portions where it would open.

And so it did… but it _wasn't _a flower.

It was a mouth. A disgusting four sided carnivorous plant mouth. The sides were pink and lined with mucus. There were no teeth, but the corrosive digestive fluid all around the lip and on the inside of the creature proved to be just as deadly. When open, the creature was large enough to encompass half of the window's length.

_Are the vines part of this creature? _Roku thought, _How long has it been underground?_

Maruck was still in Arcadia's arms, his injury making him weaker and weaker.

This is when everything broke down.

The mouth released a strange purple gas from its center. It swirled and expanded quickly throughout the bridge. In not even 2 seconds, the four captains were completely shrouded within the purple chemical.

"What is this?" Arcadia shouted.

"It's the… the…" Roku tried to say, words now failing him. They were all becoming drowsy. Whatever was in that gas was making all of their muscles slow down. It was immense work to remain standing.

"Plant's… amnesic… sleep… sleep… gas…." Roku fell down, lying unconscious on the captain's platform. The same was true for Chase, Arcadia, and Maruck, who were now all lying, completely immobile, on top of the Chimera metal.

Darkness surrounded them.

* * *

"Uh… why did I have to drop out of hyperspace so early? It's only a pain to fly the remaining half a light year."

_"Yes… but we have no idea what's happening here. The SOS signal came from a location with nothing present. We don't know what it is, or what dangers it holds… so we can't let you drop out dangerously close to the planet."_

"If it's so dangerous… then why am I on this mission?"

_"Most of our other captains are busy helping the Chimera. You were the only one not preoccupied."_

"Are you saying that I'm an unfavorable captain?"

_"No… Aster, listen, I've gotta get back to work. Report back in 20 minutes. Okay?"_

"Yes, Coyott."

Aster closed the communicator, and turned back to look out into space. Her regular propulsion engines were keeping the ship steadily moving along. Aster was just a little frustrated with the way Coyott went about doing things.

After 5 minutes of silence, she noticed something approaching the ship. It was a planet… floating through the empty vacuum of space. There were no stars in sight… but this planet appeared to have an atmosphere. As she got closer, she saw that the entire surface of the planet was green. There were no oceans… no discernable continents… just one hundred percent flora. Looking closer, Aster saw that the plants weren't uniform. It was like they had unnaturally spread across the entire surface of the planet… with a large cluster of them surrounding one central point on the side of the planet facing her. It was like they had all _grown _from that one point.

She looked down at her scanner and gasped.

It didn't see anything. According to all of her ship's systems… this planet didn't exist. It didn't show up on anything. But there it was!

Aster couldn't believe it. She examined the mission log… and sure enough. This planet was the location of the SOS signal. This didn't make any sense.

She maneuvered her ship to place it in orbit around the mysterious planet. She wanted to get as much information as possible before she attempted to land.

* * *

"Chase!"

Chase snapped his eyes open, quickly sitting up in his desk.

"Young man, were you paying attention to what we were talking about?"

"Um… of course."

"What _were_ we talking about?"

"Well… I'm assuming it had something to do with… Shakespeare… maybe?"

"Chase this is biology."

"Right…"

The students around him were snickering.

The classroom was arranged like a typical science classroom, with sinks and counters lining the walls, and desks arranged so that the students sat in groups of three or four.

"Chase would please see me after class. I'm getting a bit tired of your constant naps. No pun intended," the teacher responded, "Now… we _were_ talking about the possible ways the first RNA strand could have come about. And then Teresa here pointed out that if it could occur on Earth, then maybe it could have occurred elsewhere."

"Are you talking about… aliens?"

"Almost, Chase. We're talking about the possibility. Teresa mentioned something else. Do you know the name of the equation that calculates the possibility of extraterrestrial life?"

"The… um… yeah, no."

"The Drake Equation. Would you be kind enough to repeat what you said, Teresa."

"Of course," the girl two tables back said, "You take the number of estimated stars in our galaxy then you multiply it by the fraction of those stars that have planets, then by the average number of planets that can potentially support life, then the fraction that ever develop life, then the fraction that develop intelligent life, then the fraction of _those_ that develop a technical civilization, and finally… you multiply by the fraction that don't somehow suffer a cataclysmic event, or wipe themselves out in some way."

"What… that's a lot of numbers," Chase remarked, "What's the number you come out with?"

"Well," said the teacher, "Scientists argue over the accuracy of the numbers that are placed in the equation, and the validity of some of the variables, or the necessary placement of _more_ variables. But when calculated in one sense… you could get as little as _ten_ other communicable civilizations in our galaxy. _But…_ with a single change you can get as many as a _million._"

"What? A million other alien species in our galaxy? That's… a lot."  
"Indeed it is. But we best be getting back to our lesson. So… properties of RNA…"

The teacher began speaking, and Chase quickly drowned out her voice again. He was tired of listening to stuff he knew he'd never need to know later in life.

It was then that he noticed the note sitting on his table. A small fragment of notebook paper that was folded over, with the word "Chase" on the front. Chase was curious, as he hadn't seen it there before. Someone at the table must have given it to him. He looked around, and saw that Tyler, who was just in front of him, was nodding, looking back and forth between the paper and Chase.

Tyler must have given him the note, so Chase promptly took it and began to open it under the table. He read what it said:

_Chase… I can't be sure what is going on. But somehow your state of mind has been reverted back to the way it was before I met you. Were all in your memory right now… as different humans. I'm not sure where Maruck and Arcadia are… but I'm sure they're somewhere in this classroom. Chase, wake up! It's me, Roku!_

Chase didn't understand. Was Tyler going crazy? Or was he just bored and wanted to right nonsense on a peace of paper?

He looked up at Tyler, who had a look of expectancy on his face. Chase responded with a look of confusion, still not sure what Tyler wanted out of this.

"What is this all about?" Chase whispered.

"You don't remember do you? Primo? The Grand Master?" Tyler whispered back.

"Are you mad?"

"Gentlemen!" the teacher exclaimed, having stopped her lesson again, "Would you please stop bickering! I've had enough of your constant talking! You will both meet for detention after class!"

"Fine then Chase," Tyler said, loud enough for everyone to hear him, "If you won't find a way out of this illusion, then I will."

Tyler stood up and walked straight towards the teacher.

"What are you doing young man? Sit down this instant!"

"Your not even real," Tyler retaliated.

"Excuse me! Tyler, would you please sit back down!"

"My name isn't Tyler! I am Captain Roku the Omnipotent of the New Tharian Empire, being forced to partake in Chase's memories! But at this point… I'm sure that I don't have to follow _exactly _happened."

"What are you?..."

Tyler reached behind the teacher's neck, grabbing a very particular pressure point. Her eyes rolled back, and the teacher fell to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Chase shouted, standing up, "And what did you do to her?"

"Well… she wasn't even real and… she was getting on my nerves. This just temporary unconsciousness; its one of the first techniques I learned in captain training. It's not like she ever had consciousness in the first place though."

"What?"

"Would those once named Arcadia and Maruck please stand up," Roku said, examining the class. Most of the students were in complete shock, still trying to process what happened. However, two other students, a boy with brown hair, and another dark haired boy stood up.

"I was wondering what was happening," the boy with the brown hair said, "I'm Maruck by the way."

"And I'm Arcadia."

"Wonderful, And Maruck, I see that your injury didn't carry over into this world."

"No it didn't. It's rather nice actually."

"Okay! What on Earth is going on?" Chase shouted, causing Roku, Arcadia, and Maruck to stop talking.

"Chase… we need your help. That whole conversation about the Drake Equation was your subconscious reaching out… trying desperately to tell you that this world _isn't_ real. Look at me, and realize the truth."

"What truth?"

"Just think Chase! Um… here I have an idea," Roku said, stepping back in front of the stubborn human, "You live in an orphanage, and you have never really knew your parents…"

"I never told you that! How?"

"…and your brother, Alan, helped you steal a device that you called the 'wave bender' from the local museum. You're still going to school right now. But deep down, you realize that you don't need to. That's why you're always so tired, you spend every night stealing stuff with your brother."

"No… you couldn't have found out! Who are you?"

"I am Roku! Remember! Captain Marks! The Tesseract! The Grand Master! All of the plants on Primo! Don't you remember?"

"No."

Roku stopped, coming to a realization.

He placed his hand on Chase's head, funneling all of his telepathic energy into him. "REMEMBER!"

It worked. Chase gasped, clutching his head as memories poured into his mind. When it stopped, he was hanging on to the side of the desk, breathing hard.

"I… I… remember."

"Finally!"

After a moment of eerie calm, a bright light began to flood into the classroom through the windows. In a flash, all of the other students, and the body of the teacher, vanished.

"What's going on?" Arcadia questioned.

"I think this memory is… collapsing…" Maruck responded, "It knows _we know_ what's going on."

"So then… I guess that means…"

**FLASH.**

They opened their eyes.

Roku, Arcadia, and Chase were sitting together at a circular table. Neatly organized utensils and drinks were placed in front of them, and each of them was in considerably more formal attire.

"Excuse me, may I take your order?"

The waitress was a female scorpnak, who was standing off to the side, a holo-pad ready in her hands.

"Um…" Arcadia responded, still trying to figure out what happened.

"We'll take a fried-spoffit leg appetizer," Roku responded, "Extra sauce."

"Is that it for appetizers?"

"I think so."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

The waitress left, walking back to the kitchen.

"Wait… is this your memory?" Chase asked.

"No, actually it isn't," Roku said, "Carnivorous plants on Primo… you good? I just wanted to send her away so I could figure out who's it actually was. But wait… its rather obvious. Where's Maruck?"

The three of them looked around the restaurant. It was a typical space-age café, with decent number of tables. Creatures of all sorts were coming and going, making this location appear to be quite a popular food stop. They were situated at a non-booth table near the center of the café, next to a fountain that was pouring holographic water. Through the window at the front of the restaurant, they could see hover-cars zooming by, and pedestrians walking up and down the metallic sidewalk.

They spotted Maruck. He was sitting at a booth table off the right, along with another female scorpnak. They were eating their food and talking back and forth.

"Wait…" Chase said, "Since I just regained my memories… what's going on? Why are we even experiencing these illusions?"

"Somehow, the plants on Primo have managed to integrate with our very minds. It's like the dreams we had when we were in the first carnivorous plant… only these are more advanced. We can actually deviate from the original memory… It's weird. I mean this is Maruck's memory… but were all in it together…"

"That is weird," Arcadia remarked, "So, plan of action?"

"Same as last time. We make the rememberer realize it's a memory, and we destroy this illusion."

"Then let's go."

The three of them stood up together, moving away from the table, making a quick pace towards Maruck's booth. They pushed past other customers in the non-existent café, showing no apology to anyone who expressed complaint.

Maruck turned his head when he saw the three of them approaching.

"Excuse me," he said, oblivious to who they were, "Can I help you?"

Roku didn't even pause a second, he simply placed his hand on the scorpnak's head, screaming "remember" into his subconscious.

Nothing happened.

"What… are you doing?" Maruck asked, confused.

"Um…" Roku responded, withdrawing his hand, "I'm not quite sure. I _was _trying to force you out of a delusion, but now I've come to the realization… that whatever is forcing us to live through these memories… has adapted."

"What are you blabbing about?"

"Any ideas… guys?" Roku asked.

"I have one, but Maruck is not gonna like it…" Arcadia stated.

"What?"

Arcadia reached over and grabbed the plasma pulser on Chase's arm, pulling it off its straps.

"Hey!" Chase retaliated.

"Sorry… just need to borrow this for a sec…"

Arcadia pointed the pulser directly at Maruck.

"Ah! What… what are you doing?" the scorpnak pleaded.

"I hope this works…"

Arcadia pulled the trigger, sending a blast of solid-electron mass at Maruck. It struck him in the chest, knocking him to the back of the booth. He lay there, lifeless.

People in the restaurant began screaming in fright. They all dashed for the door in chaos, trying to get away from crazy gun-carrying chimera.

Once again, the bright light began to flood in through the front windows. This memory was beginning to collapse as well.

"Oh! Smart move Arcadia. A memory can't be sustained if there is _no _rememberer," Roku said.

The tables and chairs began to vaporize into the ever growing, and blinding, light. The body of Maruck also dissolved, disappearing completely.

"Don't worry," Arcadia said, "Maruck should be fine in the next memory."

"Okay… now, speaking of which… who's memory do you think will be next?" Chase asked.

"Um…"

**FLASH.**

Roku sat up in his bed.

_No… _Roku thought, _This memory? The same one I keep dreaming about? What's going on here?_

Roku got out of his bed, looking around at his familiar room in the southeast tharian residential tower.

_Why do I keep visiting this place…?_

Roku walked over to the balcony… as he had done so many times before. He looked out to the famous Alyxia skyline… the capital of Thar. He saw the Main Control Tower… looming above the rest of the buildings. This couldn't be happening…

"Roku!"

The captain spun around, noticing that his comrades, Chase, Maruck, and Arcadia, had just ran in through his bedroom door.

"What… what is going on?" Roku asked.

"Roku, listen," Arcadia stated, "You probably don't remember us, but we need to…"

"No, I do," Roku interrupted, "I don't know why… but for some reason I didn't suffer the same amnesia that Chase and Maruck did when they passed into their memories." Roku stepped away from the balcony, moving towards the other three.

"Well… then, why didn't this memory collapse the moment we entered it?"

A resounding voice filled the air. _"That would be because of me."_

Out of nowhere, and bright light exploded into existence. It was where Roku had been standing just seconds before, right at the center of the balcony. They all stared at it with rapt interest. What was happening?

The light subsided, and in its place… stood a figure. Such an impossible figure…

"Alan!" Chase screamed.

"Calm down, foolish human," Alan responded, amused at something, "I am _not _your brother. I have used your memory to form a presence for myself. I thought it would be interesting to see your reaction. Such strong emotions you have towards this particular person… how interesting."

"Okay…" Chase said, "Then who are you?"

"I believe… you would refer to me as _Primo."_

"What… you mean the planet that we're stranded on?" Roku jumped in.

"The one and only," the Alan-thing responded.

"But… Primo is… a planet. You're a… wait… what are you?" Maruck asked.

"Primo itself… is a network of billions of photosynthetic organic life… all linked together in the single most complex root system ever formed. Each tree… became a synapse… in a brain. It all mingles into one vast consciousness. I am Primo itself."

"So the planet is… alive," Roku said, "Well then… if you're truly the planet itself, then we have some serious questions for you. First of all, why are you forcing us through these memories? What's the point?"

"I figured it would be fun to see your reaction. It gets so quiet on this planet after 300 billion years… I just wanted to have some fun," Primo responded, with a strange happiness in his voice.

"Wait… 300 billion… How did you get here in the first place, Primo? What caused your initial creation? Did anyone ever live here before you?" Roku questioned.

"Interesting that you ask that… this planet… was once a colony… of the Jaxxod."

"What?" Chase exclaimed.

"Yes… this world of Primo… my world… was once inhabited by the most powerful empire the galaxy had ever known. They used this planet for something amazing. This is where they manufactured the device they called… the 'biorod.' An amazing piece of technology that could bring life to deserted planets…"

"_This_ is where they created the staffs?" Roku interrupted, "That was why Marks came here… he noticed this area of space had traces of energy exactly like the staff…"

"Exactly…" Primo continued, "The Jaxxod… they were such a powerful empire… this entire planet was constructed… did you know that? It doesn't even have a star… the one you saw in the sky before was a hologram. This world floats freely through space… cut off from the rest of the galaxy. A long time ago, one of the scientists created me… using the life-giving powers of the staff to merge all of this world's flora together… into one consciousness. I thrived off the energy of the staff… growing stronger every day. I had no intention of causing any harm… I respected the Jaxxod… they were my creators. Until… the day of darkness."

"The what?" Roku questioned.

"The day the gateway was opened… and a twilight fell across the stars. Everything went black. I couldn't see anything. The universe fell into despair… and I saw my destiny. It was the lord of darkness, breaking through into our world… escaping from his eternal imprisonment."

"Agriath…"

"Indeed… but it didn't last long. On that same day… a rogue Jaxxod arrived on Primo. He took everything… every last biorod from the factory! All of them! He stole the very thing that brought me happiness! I was left all alone in the eternal night… but then…"

"But then what?"

"A bright light emanated from the galactic center. It was glorious… and within seconds… Agriath was gone. His shadows cast away… but I knew… he was the truth. I saw his glory… his everlasting power. Agriath is the way of the future!"

"Oh come on… not another one of these!" Maruck shouted.

"You mean to say… that this Jaxxod stole all of the staffs of life from the factory? Why would he do such a thing?"

"You think I would know? I was forced into the shadows, forced to fend for myself after the Jaxxod Empire collapsed! I bet you can imagine what I did… No longer with a supply of the staff's energy… I resorted to the power of archon. I killed of all of the organisms on this planet that weren't already linked into my consciousness. I destroyed the entire Jaxxod colony, leaving only the teleport nullifier intact."

"But that means… you killed millions of animals… and an entire colony of Jaxxod! Why?"

"So that I could have my own archon energy… the energy of chaos… of darkness. Death was the perfect catalyst. I survived off of this for a long time… until my foolishness led to my own demise…"

"Wait… huh?"

"The archon was exhaled by all of this worlds plants… until one day… enough had built up in the atmosphere that it cut me off from the rest of the galaxy. No one could sense our presence… radar… scanners… the layer of archon blocked all incoming and outgoing signals. I waited in silence for over 300 billion years… eventually going dormant… eternally patient."

"Then… how did we wake you up?"

"Your staff! Don't you get it? I feel like a complete idiot now! When your ancestor, Marks, crashed on this planet, he kept the staff within his cargo hold… which protected it from my ability to sense it… but now… after you removed it from the ship… I tried to retrieve it instantly. I may know the truth of archon… but if I am ever going to escape my constant hunger for energy… then I need that staff!"

"Um… great… didn't you take it from us?"

"Indeed I did. And now that my army of flora is once again awakening… I can gain control of the Jaxxod spaceport and send out a ship to infest other worlds… to at last accomplish my goal… joining up with the god that will come!"

"Um… that's wonderful," Roku responded, "But I once again ask: Why are we still alive? If everything you say is true… then why do you even care about us?"

"Because I thought it would be fun. I've integrated your brainwaves into the Primo network… that's what is allowing you to mingle between different memories… and still involve yourselves in them. But this time… I could care less. You've proven yourselves to be stubborn creatures, ruining my fun… and it's time you faced your demise. And don't even think about trying to stop me… these aren't even your real bodies! I just give the command… and the plants decapitate you. You'll die instantly."

"This definitely gets into my top 10 worst situations…" Maruck muttered.

"And one more thing… I believe your SOS has arrived. Foolish little Starlen… trying to land on my world! Primo is alive… and that nasty layer of archon will tear her ship apart, as it did yours!"

"Aster?" Roku said, "Why are you… she didn't do anything to you!"

"It's not my choice. In a few short moments, that captain will attempt to enter this planets atmosphere. When she does… there is no way her ship could survive an impact with this planet. It looks like it's over for _all_ of you."

"Wait… stop!"

"Time for you to die!"

_"You heard him! STOP!"_

Another explosion of light… something was appearing. Another creature was taking form to the side of the balcony, between the four captains and the Primo creature. The voice was strong and powerful. Everyone turned their heads…

Roku almost gasped.

It was the grox-like creature… the one from his dreams. How could he be here? This was a memory…

"It's time I put an end to this!" the grox-like creature commanded, "You, Primo, you have fallen into the darkness! You have become the scourge for which I devoted my life to stopping! I thought your creation was an amazing accomplishment… but I look at it now… you were a failure, Primo, a failure!"

"NO! It can't be you!" Primo exclaimed, taking steps away from the new creature, "How can you be here? You're that Jaxxod! You're the malevolent, foul creature that came to this world and stole all of _my_ biorods!"

"What?" Roku shouted.

"Yes… I am," the creature responded, "I am calling across space into Roku's mind… and in turn, I am capable of entering your little delusional game as well. Well Primo… it looks like _your _luck has run out."

"But… but… if what you say is true… then you can't affect this world. You're just a shadow… a message. Your not really here!"

"No… but I am exactly what you said. A messenger. And I _can_ give Roku some pretty valuable information."

"Like what?"

"The thing you've been trying to keep secret from him… you know what I'm talking about…"  
"Wait… NO! STOP!"

He turned to face the captains, a slight smile on his Jaxxod face, which looked too grox-like for their own comfort.

"Roku, your Tesseract ability… enhanced telepathic and telekinetic ability… will be of extreme help here. Contrary to what Primo may lead you to believe, your mind can easily be stronger than his own. _You _can gain control of this planet. After all… you've been integrated as part of the network, all you have to do is overrule the present command structure," the grox creature explained, gesturing to the Alan-thing behind him, "You know what to do. And when your done… remember… 310, 276."

And with that, he vanished into another explosion of light.

"Wait!" Roku tried to shout. There were so many questions they needed to ask that Jaxxod… like… how was he even alive at all?

"Looks like you're alone once again…" Primo muttered, emitting a short laugh, "As I was saying; My flora servants, suffocate the real bodies of Roku, Chase, Maruck, and Arcadia! Drain them of life!"

_"NO!"_

They didn't die.

"What? I said kill the four captain prisoners!"

Nothing happened.

_"Your time is up, Primo!"_ Roku stated, his voice now containing a strange echo.

"What are you…?"

_"Stekvan was right…"_ Roku said, _"My consciousness is stronger than yours! And now… its time I started making orders!" _A wind was beginning to swirl around the body of Roku.

"This can't be happening!" Primo shouted.

_"But it is! Now… behold my own ability. Flora of Primo… I command you to use Marks' biorod… and with the help of vines lurking beneath the surface of this planet, raise the device as high into the sky as you can! Then, release its life giving power! Destroy the archon field!"_

"What do you plan on doing?" Primo questioned, furious.

_ "Marks said that the energy from the staff wouldn't get high enough to reach the archon energy… so… I'm brining the staff up to the archon field itself!"_

"But you can't! I'm in control of the life on this world! I have been for billions of years!"

_"Not anymore," _Roku exclaimed, _"NOW, by the command of Roku Azero, the central controller of Primo…"_

"This can't be happening! NO!"

_"Release staff charge 13!"_

The entire room began to shake. Like it had before, the bright white light began to flood into the room through the balcony. This final memory was collapsing.

"You will pay for this Roku! You will pay dearly!"

The light filled the entire room, cutting of their vision. Brighter and brighter… growing to an intensity unheard of. They were falling through an infinite void, being pulled out Primo's illusion.

**FLASH.**

* * *

Aster sat up in surprise. There was a shining energy being emitted from the center of the mass of plants. Right where the entire flora network came together, a bright green explosion was occurring. She recognized it… but couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Someone was using a staff of life.

At first she didn't know why… after all, the planet looked like it was plenty healthy. But then… she saw it, and her jaw dropped.

As the energy of the staff passed through the atmosphere, it seemed to be _destroying _another reddish-colored energy that she had failed to notice until now. Aster had heard legends of it… archon energy. The energy of anti-life.

_That's what was in the atmosphere! _Aster thought, _At least I didn't attempt to land… that would have been a disaster!_

After a minute or so, the field of archon was dispersed, having fled the powers of the staff. Aster smiled, reigniting her ships engine, and piloting it down to the source of the energy.

* * *

The four captains awoke, face down, and against a slimy disgusting surface. When they stood up and looked around, they were amazed.

It was the center of a cove… if you could call it that. There was a small pond, and blue skies above them. The ground beneath their feet was clearly organic and plant-like, and the walls of the cove were covered in different shrubs and grasses.

They spun around, and saw a large vine descending from the sky, its root extruding from somewhere just beyond the cove. It was carrying something, and it wasn't until the vine brought the object all the way to right in from of the four captains, that they recognized it.

"The staff!" Roku exclaimed running forward and carefully picking up the biorod, "Are you really giving this back to me?"

_"We are eternally in your debt, New Tharian."_

"Huh?" Roku examined the vine again, and noticed that there was, surprisingly, a _mouth _on its underside.

_"Yes, that's right… we can talk. What I must say… is that you showed great bravery, slaughtering our malevolent dictator."_

"What do you mean?"

_"By taking control of the planet… the original 'Primo,' as you call it, killed himself. It couldn't live without absolute power. It was like you 'deleted' his consciousness."_

"So you're giving the staff back to me… because?"

_ "A sign of gratitude. For the dispersal of Primo's mind has given us the ability to think for ourselves. The plants of this world are now truly alive. Thank you."_

"Don't mention it."

_"I won't trouble you any longer. Great adventures await… and I believe your rescue has finally arrived."_

The vine then retreated, moving away from the cove.

After a moment of calm, the sound of spacecraft engines began to fill the ears of the four captains. Something else was descending into the cove.

It was a Starlen ship, slowly coming to halt, hovering 15 feet above the bottom of the cove. Its main section was vaguely like a traditional car, but the addition of jet engines and space-age weapons gave it a much more awesome appearance. Three wings were connected to the main section, two on the sides, and one on the bottom. Missile launchers and laser turrets were situated on the top of the airplane-ish wings, while powerful propulsion engines were attached to the bottom. The entire vessel was coated with a blue and gray tint, along with a few sections that were outlined in black, the "Starlen Empire Vessel" text for example.

The beaming ray was active. A creature was descending from the belly of the ship. It was Aster.

As a Starlen, she had a non-bipedal four-legged body, which most empires would consider a disadvantage, but was easily made up for in the Starlen's agility and speed. Aster also sported two medium-sized bird wings on her back, along with the overall body structure that was vaguely similar to Sol III's 'wolves.' Her tail was just like the tail wing of a hawk, having feathers that fanned out. Her front two feet were talons, and the back two were retractable claws. Aster's teeth were sharp, due to her species carnivorous nature. Her ears pointed back, and her eyes were close to the sides of her head.

The first thing that came to Chase's mind was "a fusion of a hawk and a wolf."

"Ah… Aster. Good to see you," Roku said, talking to the captain.

"Um… good to see you too," Aster responded, hesitant about something, "What exactly is covering the four of you?"

"Oh… that," Roku said, noticing the plant-goop, "Yeah… it's a really long story. I'd prefer to explain later."

The Starlen walked up to the group of them, turning to face Chase.

"Who's he? You didn't mention a fourth captain?"

"No, I didn't," Roku answered, "This is Chase… he's from Earth."

"Earth?"

"Once again, long story. We need to be on our way."

"And…" Arcadia spoke up, "The moment we get the chance, we're calling a repair squad back to this planet to fix my ship. I'm not letting my bashed up Comet Wasp remain here."

"Very well," Aster responded, "But… first things first… where _are_ the four of you going next? Surely you'll want to take a break after having to live on this um… strange world."

"I wish…" Roku said, "But we're not going to get rest for a while. We need to keep moving. That reminds me… do you know where the galactic coordinates 310-276 are?"

"You mean… angle from the galactic center, and then distance? Yeah… just a sec." Aster pulled out a small holo-pad, pressing a few touch controls, before bring up the data she was looking for. "Yeah… that would be… Marksul."

"What's Marksul?" Chase asked, curious.

"Oh… this ought to be interesting…" Roku muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Arcadia questioned.

"Let's get ready to head out... We're going to Marksul, the _home world of the Amahani_."

* * *

_Off to the next planet!_

_Was that chapter not amazingly long?_

_Thanks for sticking with this story, and of course, don't forget to review!_

_-njkilleen_


	22. Lifeless Homeworld

_Sorry about the delay, but here is chapter 22 at last!_

_I'd like to point out two new art pieces done for this story, both of which are of Maruck. Deathshowlshe-wolf did the first one, and Lady Bloomingtile drew a particularly funny one of Maruck as Santa Clause. You can find a link to both on my profile!_

_Speaking of my profile, I now have a little poll going on. You can vote on your favorite character in TTOT! I'm curious to see the results, so just click over to my profile, and then select the little link that says "Vote Now!"_

_And last but not least... Lady Bloomingtile also began somewhat of a "parody" of this story. Yes... I did give her permission to do so, as I'm interested to see what she makes of it. I'm pretty sure the story deserves more than 1 review (me), so if you have time, check out "The Parody of Tesseract."_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**22:** LIFELESS HOMEWORLD

Civet came bursting into the throne room, sprinting across the dark floor.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Grand Master demanded.

"Sorry, my lord, but another message for you is pending," Civet explained, his speech trembling.

"Is it from… the exiled one?"

"Indeed it is. He's on the line right now… waiting for you to respond."

"Did you not track the transmission back to its source! You know how much I want that rogue _dead!_"

"I understand with every fiber of my being. We tried to track the link… but we found nothing. Remember… his technology is more powerful than anything in this galaxy."

"But not as powerful as myself."

"Of course, my lord."

"Very well then, place the transmission on screen. I want to speak to the mortal myself!"

Civet nodded and began pressing buttons on his cybernetic arm. When he finished, a large holographic screen materialized behind Civet, giving a clear view of the video link. After a few moments of static, the only creature that had ever sparked fear into the Grand Masters heart… appeared before him.

"You…" the Grand Master said, glaring at the creature in the screen with extreme hate.

"Good to see you too…" the creature responded, "So… what exactly are you up to now? You've already failed at your attempted take-over of earth… and you recently planet busted the Chimera homeworld… so, what's next?"

"You think _you _have the ability to question _my_ plans?" the Grand Master retaliated, "You, the one who imprisoned me within the core for countless millennia. _You _the one who ruined my stratagem to the fullest extent! You, Stekvan, I would _never_ tell you my plan!"

"Okay… calm down. But know this… Alan's attempt to kill the Roku and his crew was a failure."

"What?"

"Now _you _listen to me," Stekvan said, annoyed, "Yes. They survived. And trust me… they're not very happy. I know them well. That crew will stop at nothing to bring down your dark empire!"

"Oh trust me, Jaxxod," the Grand Master said, with a tone of pure malice, "When I rule over the multiverse… _you _will be the first to die. You will suffer unending torment at the hands of Agriath!"

"Will I? That's not quite what I had in mind."

"I will find you, mortal! I will destroy everything you know!"

"You already did, remember? I gave up everyone I knew to stop you! And now… here you are again. I have nothing left to lose. You will _not _succeed!"

"That's where your wrong, Stekvan! That pathetic band of captains doesn't even know the entire story yet! _You _don't even know the entire story yet! If you're so powerful, then tell me… what is the Tesseract?"

Stekvan remained silent.

"That's what I thought. You're just as pathetic as the rest of the life in the multiverse. Now, _be gone!_"

The Grand Master slammed down on a button on his throne. It closed the video in one swift motion. Stekvan was gone.

"Now its time…" the Grand Master stated, "Civet, turn on _all _of our signal interceptors. Sort through all of the transmission sent in and around the area of Phrychous within the last week. We _will _find those captains!"

* * *

Chase walked out into the camp, giving his legs a good stretch.

It wasn't _anything_ like when he was in boy scouts.

Chase was striding down a long artificial pathway, beginning to explore the strange alien base. The pathway had a silver tint, but appeared to have been embedded into the ground. Lining it were a multitude of tents, lamp posts, and even a few benches. The tents were metal as well, having once been folded up in one large mechanism. Each tent was identical, sporting the typical triangular prism structure, and a motion-sensitive iris door on the front. Looking around, Chase noticed Starlens walking in and out of the many tents, some of them even stopping for a moment to look at the human.

The entire camp was enclosed by a large triple-reinforced wall, that circled around the outer rim of the cluster of tents and pathways. Above everything was a large shield, which was keeping the harsh T0 environment out, and allowing the creatures within the base to survive. The shield was of a similar design to the one that surrounded the white-house on earth… shining bands of color. Could the technology used to power the white house shield have been… Starlen?

"Ah, Chase. There you are," Maruck said, having bumped into Chase. They were going in opposite directions, and Chase hadn't been paying attention to where he was walking.

"Oh, hey… sorry," Chase responded.

"No, it's fine. I was just looking for you, actually. Roku sent me to wake you up. We're having a meeting in the plaza." Maruck turned around began to walk next to Chase. "It's just up here."

"I know where the plaza is, Maruck."

"Really?" Maruck asked, with a smirk on his face, "Then… lead the way, ever so confident human."

"Hey, just because I'm not from a space-faring race doesn't mean I can't find my way around a Starlen Base Camp."

"So… where is the plaza."

"Um… no idea."

"Exactly."

Maruck smiled and directed Chase towards the center of the camp. They passed multiple Starlen troops along the way, many of them glancing in their direction.

"I still don't understand how these creatures are four-legged… and yet they still became the dominant species of their planet," Chase whispered to the Scorpnak next to him.

"It's simple… _they used their brains._ And in the end, their front talons look as though they serve as passable 'hands,'" Maruck responded, gesturing to the front legs of a nearby Starlen.

"I guess so."

The duo continued to walk down the pathway, eventually finding their way to the plaza. The metallic floor was of the same material that made the pathway, and the tents of the surrounded the area. Intricate abstract designs were carved into the floor beneath their feet, giving credit to the astounding Starlen artistry.

Chase shook his head, reminding himself where he was… on the far off world of Marksul, inside of a heavily protected Starlen Base. Just two weeks ago, he would have _never _believed any of this could be possible.

The human noticed a table-like structure in the center of the plaza. It was circular, and but was hovering at least 4 feet off the ground, creating a rippling aura underneath it, and slowly bobbing up and down. Situated around it were Arcadia, Roku, Aster, and another male Starlen that Chase had yet to meet. They all turned when they noticed Maruck and Chase approaching.

"Nice of you to join us," Roku said, "Were coming up with a plan of action."

"And that is...?" Chase asked.

"Well… that's why were coming up with it," Roku responded, smiling. "Come and take a look." Chase and Maruck walked forward, joining the rest of the crew in examining the table.

Chase almost gasped.

It was a holographic table that was projecting a 3-dimensional map of the entire nearby area. In the center of the table there was a scaled representation of the base. Chase could see the shield, the reinforced exterior wall, and the little tents and pathways within it. Past that was the wilderness of Marksul: Holographic canyons, rivers of lava, mountains of char and rock. One of the worst T0 planets they had ever come across.

"This is…" Chase began to say.

"Pretty cool, I know," Roku finished.

"Even with this 'cool' map technology, we still need a plan of action," Arcadia said, "We came to this planet only to discover that it was devoid of life. We set up a base camp, and then planned to explore. But we have yet to do anything… why?"

"Were being cautious, Chimera," the unknown male starlen explained, "We need to know what caused the fall of this empire."

"I'm sorry… Chase, I don't believe you've met Talor yet?" Roku asked.

"No I haven't."

"Well then, Chase, I'd like you to meet Commander Talor of the Starlen High Fleet. He's the one who gave the order to transport us to this planet. After all, we don't currently possess our own spaceship."

"Well…" Arcadia commented, "Mine's getting repaired."

"Great to meet you Chase, I've heard many stories from your friends about your accomplishments on Earth," Talor stated.

"Um… thanks."

"I was the one who found them though…" Aster mumbled in the background.

"What was that Aster?" Talor questioned, with an air of authority.

"I was stating the truth."

"May I remind you that the only reason you're here is _because _you saved these captains from Primo. You're still under my command. Is that clear cadet?"

"Cadet… I was once a captain of our empire."

"You _were_, until you got into that mess with the Vacors."

"It wasn't even my fault!"

"One last time, Aster! You will find out how to subdue that attitude of yours, or you will be removed from this investigation team. Is that clear?"

"Yes… Commander Talor."

This argument was followed by an awkward silence, with the rest of Roku's crew pretending like they were preoccupied with something in the distance.

"Remind me again… why is this planet Terra-score zero? I thought it was the Amahani homeworld," Chase asked, trying to break the silence.

"You would be correct. This _is _the Amahani homeworld," Talor explained, "But our only viable theory is that someone came along and de-terraformed it… possibly even killing all the life on this planet."

"But if that were to happen… How could you not have know about it? How could no distress signal have been sent out?"

"We have no idea."

"Great…"

"So now were gonna to head out and investigate," Roku explained, drawing their attention back to the holographic map. Roku pointed at three different locations on the hologram. "These are the places we need to look at. The nearby city to the west, what appears to be an ancient temple or relic to the east, and what may possibly be a grox outpost just north of here. Remember, we planted the base camp _here_ because something was interfering with the ships sensors and ability to fly. We need to know what that was. Unfortunately, it means were gonna have to go by foot."

"What…" Chase whined.

"He speaks the truth," Talor stated.

"Yes, now… Chase and Aster, you're going to be in the first group. You'll investigate what remains of the Amahani City. Maruck and Arcadia, you'll be heading off to the grox outpost. Take caution, we don't know what you'll find there. I'll be in the last group, going off to the ruins."

"Wait… why are you going on your own?" Maruck asked.

"Are you worried about me?"

"Well… no."

"_Also…_" Talor said, "me and my forces will patrol around the rest of the wilderness area. If danger should arise, you'll be able to reach one of our squadrons within a moments notice."

"Excellent," Arcadia said.

"What exactly… are we waiting for?" Chase asked.

"For Talor to actually gain control over his troops," Aster commented.

"Watch it!"

"Alright then…" Roku said, looking up from the map, "Time to… um… hold on… can someone give me a cultural reference that deals with wanting to go accomplish a task in an epic way?"

"I've got one," Chase spoke up, "Time to rock and roll."

* * *

An hour later, Aster and Chase were walking across the barren Marksul landscape. The ground was a rusted red color, similar to what Chase imagined Mars looked like. The sky above was filled with smoggy clouds, that appeared to be composed of some sort of ash. This was a likely explanation, as not even a hundred feet from their current position, a river of lava was oozing along the ground, radiating heat. The star in the sky was white, and far in the distance. It appeared as a bright glow beyond what was left of the hazy atmosphere.

Their personal shields shimmered in the unnatural lighting, the energy bending around the two of them. It allowed the non-grox creatures to walk along the surface of this un-inhabitable world.

Chase sighed… It still didn't make any sense. This was supposed to be the Amahani homeworld… how could it suddenly end up like this?

_Hold… on Marksul?..._

"Aster?"

"Yes, Chase."

The Starlen looked up and the human, who had an inquisitive look on his face.

"Yeah, just a quick question. This world is called 'Marksul' right?"

"Last time I checked."

"Well… we just had a little discovery on Primo… wasn't the Old Tharian lead captain named 'Marks?' I mean, it just seems like too much of a coincidence that…"

"Yes… that's right, you're correct," Aster explained, "From what I know, this world used to be called 'Dunak' or something like that… Anyway, one day it was under threat of destruction by another warrior empire, who attempted to planet bust this world. The Amahani were still in the 'civilization stage' at the time…"

"The what?"

"Oh… no ones explained the stages to you yet?"

"Um… no."

"Okay then… let's see," Aster said, thinking about how best to put what she wanted to say, "All races in the galaxy pass through different levels of evolution. Level 1 is considered the 'cell stage,' in which the only life that exists on a planet is within a microbial state… just cells."

"Go on."

"Level 2 and 3 are the 'creature stage.' Level 2 being life as an aquatic creature, and level 3 being the further evolution of such a creature, where it now survives, and eventually thrives on land. Level 4 is the 'tribal stage' where the organism is now developing sentience, and is organizing into groups… realizing that there is power in numbers."

"And oh… I remember someone mentioning my planet as a 'level 5' world."

"That's right, Level 5 is the 'Civilization stage' where the species has progressed far enough to form nations. This stage also marks dramatic leaps in technology."

"And then… the space stage?"

"Yeah. Level 6… and up are considered to be within the 'space stage.' Level 6 is just the beginning of the space stage. Level 7 status is acquired when they expand to at least 20 star systems, and Level 8 when they have full control of hyperspace travel and kronon energy. The Starlens are considered level 8," Aster explained, "The next two levels are fuzzy though… as there are very few level 9 empires. Right now… the Amahani should've been level 9… though I'm not sure where they are now. The Chimera are also level 9… its basically just one step higher. The Galactic Council decides when empires should placed within this category, and it usually doesn't happen that often."

"But you said… Level 10?"

"There are only two recorded level 10 empires. The New Tharians… and the Grox. Both of them have reached a level of advancement unparalleled by anyone else in the galaxy. That's why the council classified them as level 10."

"Dang…" Chase said, amazed.

"But as I was saying before… the Amahani were Level 5 at the time of this invasion. They had no way of defending themselves. Marks came to their rescue, driving the evil empire away. It was from that day forward that they renamed this planet 'Marksul,' which I'm fairly sure is Amahani for 'in honor of Marks.'"

The two of them continued walking for around 15 more minutes, looking around at the strange, desolate landscape.

Eventually, they came upon their destination: the ruins of the once grand Amahani city.

It was stunning… and horrifying.

Hundreds of buildings in utter disrepair. Houses, office towers, plazas, benches, roads, hover-cars (that weren't really hovering anymore), and thousands upon thousands of shattered windows. Anywhere they looked, they saw ruins, a sad reminder of the once peaceful empire that stood in this spot.

Marks may have driven the enemy away a few thousand years ago… but now… this world was hopeless. Nothing could survive in this atmosphere. The world of Marksul was dead.

The buildings were shaped like domes, like hemi-spheres sticking out of the ground. Each and every one of them was covered in a layer of ash, as the sky above slowly released the dark remnants of destruction. It was like a ghost town… not a single body in sight. Just the ruins filled with sadness.

"The Amahani… were shamans…" Aster said, looking around, "From the moment they reached the space stage… they never harmed anyone. They never went to war… they were as peaceful as anyone had known. They didn't deserve this! Those fowl Grox! How can they possibly justify their actions?"

"I don't think they had a choice…" Chase spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"We encountered the leader of the Grox… someone calling himself the 'Grand Master…' he appeared to be forcing the Grox into doing everything. _He _is the one behind all of this destruction. But what makes no sense at all… was that he was an Amahani, just like the rest of the innocent people on this world."

"That doesn't make sense… but I suppose, that even in an empire that seems perfect, a utopia of peace… there is always a rogue. Someone who is driven mad by the rules and regulations… someone who craves a different life so much… that even the negative, the "evil," seems appealing."

"I guess so. But how could an rogue Amahani gain enough power to control the strongest empire in the galaxy?"

"Beats me…" Aster responded, "There seem to be a lot of questions still unanswered."

"Yeah… I guess… there's a question that's been bugging me for a long time…"

"What's that?"

"Well… I was told a prophecy…"

"Oh… don't listen to those nonsense things. It's just zealot propaganda."

"No, this one was different. So far everything that it predicted… has occurred. But it speaks of something else… that 'three captains will rise' and 'conquer the false god that will come.' For a while… I thought that was me… Maruck… and Roku. But as of now… I've come to question that. I'm not even a captain. Maruck and Roku are… but not me. I just left earth… I'm nowhere near the rank of captain…"

"Don't worry about that. Your only thinking about the negative… And besides, all you really have to do is remember one thing: Never un…"

"Stop... Don't say it. I've heard it enough. But yes, I understand your point."  
"Good."

They trudged across the silent road, listening for the faintest sign of life. There was nothing. This entire planet was in no condition to support life.

"If only we could find out exactly what happened here," Aster said, sounding slightly flustered, "How could no one know about Marksul's fall?"

"Wait… I have an idea…" Chase said, beginning to examine the buildings around them.

"What?"

"We need to go in here," Chase said, pointing at the nearby Amahani residential complex. It was shaped like a large dome, with a silver tint, and a reddish lining. The metal was rusted and subject to the steady stream of drifting ash.

"Um… Why?"

"Just trust me," Chase responded, moving towards the door. It was circular, and appeared to, under normal circumstances, split in half and slide out of the way. Now, Chase and Aster were forced to pry the door open with force. Once they had it open, Chase entered the dark building, with Aster following close behind.

It was nearly impossible to see inside of the dome, their only illumination coming from the door they had just opened, and a small, somewhat eerie window on the far side of the room. Everything else was shrouded in darkness.

"Just a sec…" Aster said, fumbling with something in her pocket. She pulled out a small orb, holding it in her front talons. Aster tossed it forward, where it stopped five feet in front of them, hovering in mid air. The sphere began to glow, almost like a small, artificial sun. It had enough illumination to flood the entire room with light.

It was strange… there were sofas, tables, and carpet. It was a deserted house… whoever had lived here… had died. Off to the side, the entrance to the kitchen could be seen. Chase realized, that even if the Amahani level of technology was far more sophisticated than humans… no alien empire truly loses their sense of what a home looks like. This only strengthened his hate of the Grox. How could they do this? How could they kill off whatever innocent family had lived here?

"And what is your ever-so-awesome plan?" Aster asked, examining a shattered picture frame, "I don't quite see why we came in here."

Chase looked around what he would consider the 'living room,' finding his way to a table situated where the rest of the couches were facing.

"What is this?" Chase asked, pointing at a circular device situated on the top of the table.

"Oh that," Aster responded, trotting up next to the human, "That's a holo-screen. Sorta like what you have on earth… I think you call them, "Televisions?"

"Yeah… that's right. Then this is what I was looking for."

"Huh?"

Chase reached into his pocket, pulling out the small, yet exceptionally useful energy key.

"Oh… this thing has been _so _helpful." Chase jammed the key into the side of the holo-projector. The key lit up, beginning its hacking process. After a few seconds, the light on the key turned green, and the holo-projector turned on. A flat panel of energy emerged from the table. It looked solid, unlike the rest of the holograms he had seen. This one was just like a regular television… except completely flat, and in a higher definition than any screen he had seen on Earth.

"Whoa… I want one of these…" Chase said, looking at the screen in awe.

"What do you plan on doing with this?"

Chase bent down and began pressing different keys on the device. "Finding out what happened. If this is like any television I've seen on Earth… then it probably has recordings. You know… where you want to go back and watch your favorite shows, because you missed them for something you had to do?"

"Yeah."

"This energy key should be able to find their data, and put them on screen." Chase continued fiddling with the different buttons on the energy key. "Oh… this is weird."

Aster walked up next to Chase, examining the device as well.

"The last recording is fragmented…" Chase explained, "Its like the link was cut off at the end… and there are no recordings after that. What could have happened?"

"Well… let's play it and find out."

"Ok then."

Chase pushed down on the recording, causing the holographic television to display an animated loading screen. A moment later, the recording began.

It was a news broadcast. An Amahani was standing in the foreground, wearing a something that resembled a suit, and grasping a microphone in his hands. Below him was the news channel overlay. It appeared to read "Amahani News Central 8" below that displaying the current topic, "URGENT BROADCAST: Grox fleet in Orbit."

The reporter didn't look at all comfortable. He was flustered and covered in sweat. He looked like he was scared for his life.

This was the first time Chase had seen a normal Amahani. Unlike the Grand Master, their skin color was red, and their uniform was a lot more appealing. The reporter wore an outfit consisting of mostly metal plates… although they were arranged in such a way that they seemed almost tribal. They had exceptionally long arms and legs, along with their two long saber-like teeth. Their feet and hands looked as if they had a distinct exoskeleton.

The reporter was nowhere near calm. He was shaking in utter fright. He began to speak.

_"This is not a drill! I repeat, the Grox are in orbit around this planet! The world of Marksul is without any form of military defense! We must not resort to violence… but in this situation… we are out of luck. Our only hope now is to pray to the god that will come… he will bring guidance. He will light the way through complete darkness. The foul empire that is the Grox shall burn under the light of the god that will come! Let us hope… that we will be saved in time…"_

The reporter then appeared to place his hand against his ear, as if someone was talking to him through an earpiece. He then looked back at the camera, resuming his speaking.

_"I have urgent development. The ship that appears to be leading the fleet is none other than one of our own Class-17 Amahani vessels… If I'm correct, that's Dimitri's vessel. Has our own captain turned against us? Only weeks ago he left for the galactic core. Wait… what's this?"_

Someone off screen was shouting at the reporter.

_"The connection is being cut… something is jamming our broadcasting frequency…"_

The video went fuzzy. The hologram became static… until about three seconds later, when suddenly…

The form of the Grand Master appeared before them.

The dark ruler was sitting smugly in his throne, with multiple dronox soldiers stationed around him. His skin was already pitch black, and the faint aura of darkness still seemed to surround him. He opened his mouth, and spoke.

_"People of Marksul… how wonderful to see you for the last time. Your great captain, Dimitri, kindly offered up his body to me… Agriath, the lord of darkness. From now onwards, I shall rule an empire that shall burn across the stars, fulfilling the prophecy of which I was once so close to doing. But now… I bid you farewell… Amahani Empire. I care not of you anymore; this planet shall burn! Stand by for a little gift…"_

The Grand Master began to laugh, in his cold, spine tingling voice. It made Chase and Aster cringe. Suddenly, the video began to break up. Lines of clearly defined desync could be seen across the screen. Without warning the video completely fuzzy, with no clear picture visible. This was immediately followed by small icon on the screen, and the text under it that read "Recording Finished.

"That's it?" Chase asked, looking at the screen in disappointment, "Well I guess that was the random cut off… but what could have caused that?"

"An electro-magnetic pulse… a very large one at that," Aster explained, "This 'Grand Master' wanted to cause the Amahani pain… he wanted them to suffer. From the looks of that cut off, he used an EMP to destroy all of the Amhani's technology. None of anything worked… anybody on this planet was stuck on this planet. And then…"

"What?"

"My guess is… he de-terraformed the planet. Slowly burning and suffocating everyone that lived on this world… Without functional personal shields, the Amahani died, their bodies being either burned away, or turned to dust and ash. The real temperature here is so hot… we wouldn't find any bodies. That's why it's a ghost town here…"

"Okay…" Chase said, "That's a bit creepy…"

"Just a bit?"

"Well… what now?"

"I don't know… you're the one that led us in here."

"Well um…" Chase said, examining the rest of the room, "Let's look at this." The human walked over to a medium-sized book sitting on what looked like the dinning table. It had large, distinct text the front.

"The Book of Shamans…" Chase muttered, reading the cover, "When we were watching that video, the reporter said something about a 'god that will come.' However, out of everything that I've seen so far, that's _not _a good thing. I want to know more about this 'god.'"

Chase began flipping through the pages. It had great similarity to the Book of Spode, but instead seemed to speak greatly of a 'god that has yet to come,' and that will 'one day come and save creation from the hollow of darkness.' Still, it didn't help him very much. Chase quickly flipped to the index in the back of the book, but accidentally flipped a few pages to far. He entered pages containing series of pictures… and on the last one…

"Whoa… " Aster remarked, staring at what appeared to be a painting that was changed into a small picture. It was on the last page of the book of shamans, with a small caption underneath reading, "An artists rendition of the God That Will Come. It is believed that this artist had a vision… this is our best representation of our great god."

The picture was faint, with large amounts of light radiating from behind it. It made it incredibly difficult to make out details. Whoever it was, the figure was wearing a suit of golden armor, that appeared to just shine in glorious power. Grasped in its right hand, was a long golden sword, with letters written along the edge; Letters written in a language that even the SETI Translator didn't recognize. The figure itself was bipedal, with the main portion of its body shaped like a human. The face was covered in a golden helmet, and everything behind it was obscured by white light. Chase had to squint, but he could have sworn that there was more to this figure than just the human form… some faint discoloration on either side of the figure. What could it be?

"Well… this looks nothing like what I imagined Agriath to look like…" Chase said, closing the book, "I guess we just keep looking?"

"Of course."

* * *

Roku was flying towards the large temple, his newly acquired staff strapped to his back. Below him were a series of ancient ruins… much more ancient than the cities that were stripped of life when the Grox attacked. Roku assumed they were from back when the Amahani were tribal, preserved through the space stage… maybe as a historical memory, or something of the sort.

The Tharian flapped his wings, bringing himself to a landing. He stood up and walked towards the largest temple in the area. It was tall, and made out of a reddish stone. Now… it was covered in ash, and the structure itself seemed to have suffered serious amounts of erosion. There were a series of steps descending from a large door, that came to a stop feet in front of the captain. There were made of a grayish stone. The temple itself had a shape not unlike the Mexican temples on earth.

Roku began to climb upwards, moving from step to step.

There was something Roku hadn't told the rest of the crew… the reason he had wanted to go alone. Once again, he had been shown two numbers… 320 and 77. Those numbers pointed towards this temple, and Roku could only assume that something important was waiting for him. Roku didn't want the rest of his crew thinking he was insane.

The Tharian came upon the large stone door, using his hands to pry one of the sides open. It slowly swung outward, emitting a loud creaking noise at it did. Roku slid through the opening, moving into what was currently complete darkness. He couldn't see a thing.

Roku was about to pull out a light orb, when he heard a voice.

"Don't bother."

"Wha… who's there?"

"Oh… don't worry. I'm the one who's been helping you this entire time."

"What?"

Right in the center of the temple room, a light popped into view. It was another light orb, already activated and hovering about 10 feet in the air. But just below it… was the creature that made Roku gasp.

It was the Jaxxod… the one from his dreams, and from inside the Primo illusion. How was he here?

"It's you…. you're… you're…"

"It's time you got the whole story, Roku," the Jaxxod responded, "You and your crew have endured much, and have suffered countless things. Now, I will explain to you what truly happened. How this world has placed itself on a collision course with destruction."

"But… who are you?"

"I am the greatest Jaxxod captain. I drove Agriath into his prison. I saw the Tesseract for what it truly was. Roku you know who I am."

"No… you can't be…"

"I'm Stekvan Gallindo."

* * *

_How do I put this... Review! Review! Review!_


	23. Guardian of Darkness

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**23:** GUARDIAN OF DARKNESS

* * *

Roku stayed in his place, trying to digest the situation. Nothing made sense anymore.

The room around him was circular, with torches lining the walls, and intricate ancient drawings carved into the eroded rock. Around Stekvan was the floor, made of some form cobblestone, and a pedestal in the center of the chamber, upon which the Jaxxod was leaning.

"But how… how could you?"

"How can I still be alive?" Stekvan finished, "I assure you, it's quite a long story. To explain it, I'll need quite a unique way of telling it."

"You said… 'how this world placed itself on a collision course with destruction…' do you mean Marksul?"

"No… I mean our _world_ within the multiverse… the 'universe.' The very fabric of our existence is in jeopardy… and it's the fault of my race... Trust me, it'll be much easier to explain what happened to this planet, and _why _it happened, if I explain to you the truth behind the fall of the Jaxxod Empire."

"But I still have so many questions…" Roku tried to say.

"Do not worry, Tharian, for all of them will be answered. Now… I'm going to need your help with this."

"What?"

"We are going to share a memory. It's a process that was perfected by the Jaxxod many years ago… but lost just like everything else. Fortunately, I have the help of your telepathic skills. Don't be so shy, Roku, step forward."

Roku hesitantly took small steps forward, still in shock by this creature's arrival. Stekvan looked the same as ever – Grox in basic structure, but much taller… almost the height of a human. And instead of the blood-red skin the Grox had, the Jaxxod had brown skin with greenish highlights. Stekvan had no cybernetic implants, and an outfit consisting of metallic armor.

The New Tharian now stood feet in front of the mysterious Jaxxod, still unsure of the situation.

"Is there a reason for your hesitance, Roku?"

"A long time ago… I was taught something. I was told the phrase until it was burned into my mind. And it remains even today. I will _never underestimate any circumstance._"

Stekvan began laughing. Something about it was oddly familiar.

"What's so funny?" Roku asked.

"I came up with that…" Stekvan said, regaining his composure, "That was my phrase, so many years ago… You've heard stories of me… haven't you?"

"Yes… regarded as the most famous captain of the ancient Jaxxod Empire… but information is so scarce that nothing can be taken as fact. How can you possibly exist?"

"You know what they say… never underestimate any circumstance."

"Uh… I hate it when people do that. Just tell me how you're still alive."

"I'll make this short and to the point… no… never mind. I don't want to. It's more fun this way."

"Stekvan…"

"And just like that… you're already frustrated with me… amazing how easy it is to manipulate peoples emotions… isn't it?"

"What are you even trying to say?"

"I'm pretty sure I once said everything that I needed to say. Marks was one of the few that caught on. Remember? _A wonderful time-share opportunity on one of our largest stars… and a rare planet in its orbit? _Roku… you were given the power… the power to create life on uninhabitable worlds."

Roku was just confused now. What was Stekvan trying to say? What point was he trying to prove? Then it clicked.

"You're voice…"

"Now you're catching on."

"I've met you before… in the galactic core… but then that means…"

"So…. Now I'll offer you a choice. You can walk away now, leaving to go back to the Starlen base with no information, and your curiosity left unsatisfied… _or _you can use your telepathic ability to link our minds together… and allow me to show you what happened… to project the fate that befell my entire empire."

Roku was silent for a moment.

"What do I need to do?"

"Come forward and lay down on the pedestal. Our bodies will go limp when the link begins."

The New Tharian did as Stekvan told him to do, hoisting himself up onto the stone platform. He lay back, folding his wings in as he did so. The Jaxxod pushed himself onto the pedestal as well, pulling out a small device. It was a black rectangular prism, covered in glowing circuitry.

"What is that?"

"The psionic linking device. Here, place this on either side of you face, just to the side of either eye." Stekvan was handing over what looked like little suction cups that were connected to the linking device by a translucent cord. Roku took the small things, examining them a second before placing them on his head. They appeared to just stick there by some type of magnetic force.

"Ready?" Stekvan asked.

"No… but go anyway."

Stekvan laid down as well, with the linking device already connected to him.

"Here we go." Stekvan pressed down on a button on the main portion of the device, and Roku was immediately shocked. Two needles seemed to jab out of the suction cups and poke painfully into Roku's head.

"What was that for?"

"It needs to link with your brain somehow doesn't it? Anyway… now I'll actually start it." Stekvan pressed another button, causing a crystalline energy to pulsate through the wires connecting Roku and Stekvan. The Tharian immediately began to feel tired, fighting desperately to try not to close his eyes.

"Now Roku… funnel all of your telepathic energy into the device through the link, this won't work unless you give the device the power that it needs."

"I'll try…"

Roku focused his mind, imagining his tesseract-given ability like an aura of energy that was passing though the linking cord and into the small device._  
_

After just a few seconds of this, Roku began to feel his world slip away. His vision was blurring; he could no longer smell; he could no longer feel; everything was dissipating.

"Good Roku! It's working!"

It felt as if Roku himself was disappearing… the whole physical world was collapsing... In one giant…

**FLASH.**

There was nothing. Roku was in a void of nothing. The world was gone; Marksul was gone; he was alone in an infinity of darkness.

_"Where am I?" _Roku called out into infinity.

_"Simply put, space,"_ Stekvan responded. The Tharian spun around, surprised. There was the Jaxxod, floating in the vacuum as well. Roku looked down at himself, noticing that he was also floating.

_"If we're in space… how'd we get here… and how are we still alive?"_

_"This is a memory, Roku - My memory. I need to show you what happened, and this is where it all begins."_

_"With what?"_

_"At sector 17Δ CF-3, on Galactic date 3247b6, something materialized."_

An explosion of bright light blinded Roku. The Tharian spun around, looking for the source of it… and there it was. A gigantic shimmering portal had opened behind the two captains. It pulsated and shifted, glowing in brilliant colors that Roku's mind could not even comprehend. From the depths of this portal, came a streak of light. It came blasting out so fast, that Roku didn't even get a chance to look at it. He only knew it was there by the shimmering light trail it left behind.

"What on Thar was that?" Roku exclaimed. Suddenly, both Stekvan and Roku began to move. They were traveling though space, speeding up so much that the light around them seemed to blur. Looking, Roku saw them shoot past entire galaxies, celestial entities, and multi-colored nebulae. They were following the trail of whatever had launched out of the portal. Whatever it was, it had an incredible amount of energy.

_"It blasted into our world, streaking through the vacuum of space at faster than the speed of light. It raged through the nebulae and exploding stars, heading straight for the Aeron Galaxy. Nothing could stop its course. It was only two feet wide… but it was the most powerful thing in the known universe."_

"_What was?"_ Roku shouted.

_"The Tesseract."_

The Aeron Galaxy grew in size until it encompassed Roku's entire view. He was moving towards a cluster of stars near the galactic center… he could see the constellations… the nebulae… the many star systems. They were moving towards one in particular… a system with 4 planets… one of which appeared to have civilization, judging by the lights scattered across the surface. Stekvan and Roku's descent slowed to a halt; they were once again hovering in space.

Below them, the Tesseract flew through the atmosphere of the planet, leaving behind the glowing trail of blue energy. An aura of flames erupted around it… falling, burning, glowing… the Tesseract truly had _nothing _to stop its course. And before they knew it, the Tesseract had crashed onto the planets surface, releasing a shockwave of rippling energy that appeared to radiate across the planet.

_"What is this… why is this happening?" Roku asked, turning to Stekvan._

_"This is what I learned of the Jaxxod's past. This is the day… the Tesseract fell onto Xorgo."_

_"What now? We're still in space."_

Stekvan smiled, raising his right hand. With a swift motion, Stekvan snapped his fingers. Immediately following this, the current world dissipated in a giant…

**FLASH.**

The world restored itself.

Roku was no longer in space, he was hovering above a giant metropolis.

_"What… what did you just do?"_

_"Moved us forward a couple thousand years. This is the capital city of Xorgo, the center of the entire Jaxxod empire. This is where the disaster began."_

Roku looked back down at the city and remained in awe. It was nothing short of stunning. The buildings were taller than many of those on Thar… it was clear this civilization had mastered technology like none before it…

Stekvan and Roku were hovering just outside the city limits, near a giant lake of water. They saw the beautiful skyline of the capital city, as the bright orange star descended into the background. It was the most amazing sunset Roku had ever seen. The many large and metallic buildings caused the light from the sun to reflect and refract into a multitude of amazingly beautiful colors.

The buildings themselves were of many different sizes, some exceedingly tall and spire-like, and some slightly smaller and dome shaped. Regardless, an uncountable number of hover-vehicles seemed to whizz and fly amidst the amazing view. Some were even passing next to the forms of Stekvan and Roku, passing over the lake as they moved towards the city. Even to Roku, a captain from the legendary New Tharian Empire, who had its own fare share of amazing technology and architecture… was promptly in utter awe as he stared at the Jaxxod capital city.

_"This is what happens to a civilization who holds on to the Tesseract for as long as we did."_

_"It's nearly unbelievable… are you saying that the Tharians would have become this advanced?"_

_"Yes, but the power of the Tesseract is like an addictive substance… You can become dependent on it, and reach a point where you make terrifyingly foolish mistakes. Beyond any of that... I had reason to believe that the Tesseract was not intended for us... that the Jaxxod home world was not its intended target."_

_"If it wasn't for you… then who was the Tesseract for?"_

_"Isn't it obvious, Roku?"_

Roku paused for a moment.

_"Um... not really."_

_"A powerful toxic solution generated whenever someone attempts to cut or otherwise remove portions of the tesseract? A toxin that greatly harms anyone who has not recently breathed an incredibly rare strand of Oxygen found only on one charted planet within the entire Aeron Galaxy? A toxin that enhances the abilities of those who have breathed that strand of Oxygen? Tell me Roku, what part of the Alminar Gas doesn't scream that the Tesseract was meant for the Humans?"_

Roku's eyes were wide.

_"But I don't understand how a civ stage planet could be so significant. I mean, the humans weren't even around when Jaxxod were as powerful as this. They won't be around for a long, long time."_

_"And that, I fear, is the problem the Tesseract seems to have."_

_"Problem?"_

_"It is my belief, that it arrived early. Terrifyingly early."_

_"Early? Your speculating that and you don't even know where it came from?"_

_"Nobody does, Roku. That's a piece of knowledge beyond any of us."_

_"Let's just go back to square one for a moment: Why haven't you shown yourself to me or my comrades this entire time?"_

_"Because I was under constant threat by the Grand Master himself. He wanted me destroyed. I could only use my ships dream-calling ability to contact you, to get you to come to me. He would never suspect that I would go to Marksul. He probably doesn't even think I know the Amahani homeworld exists."_

_"But then… what?"_

_"Roku, are you going to continue to pester me about present events, or are you going to actually let me continue explaining the past? In case you've forgotten, we're hovering at least a few thousand feet in the air, next to one of the most ancient and powerful civilizations in the universe."_

Roku was silent, eventually saying, _"Go on."_

_"The Jaxxod Empire thrived like this for a long time. It was the golden age of the Aeron galaxy. In fact, it is once believed that our success was a blessing from the gods, or whatever higher power resided above the universe."_

_"Any way of knowing if that was true?"_

_"No…. some believed it to be true, and others claimed the Tesseract was a lost artifact from another galaxy, and others still thought it was just an object from another empire even stronger than our own… for it managed to advance our race more than anything imaginable."_

_"And you?"_

_"I saw it as evil; the device that caused the fall of our race. Here… let me show you what happened…"_

Stekvan snapped his fingers again, causing the current memory to dissipate.

**FLASH.**

There were now standing in a dimly lit hallway, with indigo colored walls and a metallic texture. The entire place was a _lot _less stunning than the view they had just moments before. The hallway stretched on for about twenty feet in front of them, where in then curved slowly to the left.

_"Where are we now?"_

_"The Jaxxod Entanglement Research Facility,"_ Stekvan responded, _"on the planet Atra. A system about 30 parsecs from the galactic core."_

_"And… what happened here?"_

Stekvan didn't respond for a second. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

_"Follow me,"_ he said, beginning a swift pace down the hallway.

Every once in a while they passed random iris doors, hanging lamps, and even a few air vents.

As they turned the corner, Roku noticed another Jaxxod walking down the hallway towards them. He was wearing what looked to be a scientific lab coat, with a Jaxxod Empire logo embroidered on the sleeve. He moved closer and closer, until he was right in front of them.

Roku gasped.

The Jaxxod passed _right through_ Stekvan, causing only a strange shimmer in his form. The scientist proceeded to do the same thing to Roku, and the Tharian shuddered as the form of the past Jaxxod moved through his body, not making any effect on Roku's presence. He simply passed through Roku as if he was a ghost.

_"That was weird…"_ Roku pointed out.

_"This is just a static memory, we can't change it."_

"Yeah, but that doesn't stop what just happened from being weird."

Stekvan just smiled, and continued to guide Roku down the series of branching hallways. The hallways were rather empty, something Roku didn't expect to find in what appeared to be a large research facility.

_"Where is everyone?"_

_"In the same place were going, right here,"_ Stekvan responded, coming to a stop, and motioning to the large door to their right. It was silver, and appeared to open like any of the "elevators" on Sol III would. It had blue text embossed into the top if it, reading _Main Conference Room._

Stekvan looked at Roku, saying_ "Follow me."_ The Jaxxod stepped forward, and Roku's mouth dropped as his body moved straight through the solid metal.

_"Good god I better get used to this…"_ Roku stated, taking a step forward and performing the same feat. As the Tharian emerged on the other side of the door, he noticed Stekvan off to the side, leaning against a wall. Roku walked over to him, and then turned to face the rest of the room.

The conference room was about the size and shape of a large theater, with somewhere between 700 and 1000 chairs packed inside. The walls were a darker color, as not to be a distraction to what was on stage. The lights in the area were dimmed as well, for the same reason. Roku could look up and see at lest two more levels of chairs above them, almost all of them filled up completely. Whatever was happening here today, was _important_.

The stage itself was trapezoid shaped, and constructed of a chrome-like metal, that was flat to a near perfect degree. Right in the center of this was a gigantic holographic projector. There were three panels projecting the image: one of the stage, and two on adjacent wall. Together they formed a vastly realistic three-dimensional image. The hologram was currently taking the form of the empire's logo, a stylized X with the Tesseract in the center of it. It looked so real, that Roku did a double take when he saw… unsure if a giant logo was simply floating there.

All of the chairs were occupied by different Jaxxod, although most of them appeared to be respected officials, like mayors, military commanders, and leading scientists. This was a meeting for the highest ranking people in the entire Jaxxod empire...

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the dawn of a new age…"

A Jaxxod announcer had just stepped up onto the stage, casing the entire audience to quiet down.

"We play host tonight, to the ever-brilliant, amazing contributor to our society, Professor Civet!"

This was followed by a long round of applause, as another Jaxxod walked up on stage. He was wearing a long white lab coat, with look of excitement on his face. The Jaxxod took the place of the announcer, the center stage, and then he began to talk. He obviously had some form of amplification, because Stekvan and Roku could hear him all the way in the back of the conference room.

_"Wait… Civet?" _Roku asked, curious.

_"Yeah… it's his ancestor… shh, this part is important!"_

"Hello my fellow Jaxxod!" Professor Civet said, looking around at the many audience members before him, "Today… is the start of a new era for our empire. Today… is the day we enter to realms undiscovered. Because… my fellow Jaxxod… there are places out there… universes unseen and yet connected. For our plane of existence is not all that there is; I am sure you understand this by now. Our plane of existence is a tiny strand of infinitely small space, compared to the infinitely large complex of dimensions, realities, and universes… that our scientists have described with one term, the _multiverse_. We have already sent ships to other galaxies… we have colonies there as well. We have explored this universe very much so… it is now time for us to explore others."

The Professor paused, looking around at the crowd, "Before I begin… allow me to mention some past discoveries our empire has made… you remember the biorod? If not, then allow me to give a brief description." Civet pressed a button on the remote he was holding in his hand. The gigantic hologram behind him changed. The form shifted, and Roku recognized the new image as that of the staff of life. The hologram was projecting a representation of the powerful device, but… this one wasn't the same color as Roku's. The staff appeared to be composed of solid gold, with a glow of brilliant shining light.

"We found _this_ on a far off world on the fringe of this galaxy," Civet explained, pointing at the hologram behind him, "We were amazed. We had no explanation for its origin, no way to track it. It was simply there… and possessing incredible power. With a singe wave this device could instantly change a barren, uninhabitable T0 world, into a lush, life-filled, Eden of a T3 world. It is for this reason, that we named it the _biorod,_ the 'staff of life' as some call it. It was beyond our comprehension, but like any empire of our caliber, we attempted to reverse-engineer the technology within it. We spent _years_ trying to figure out how it worked. The seemingly infinite power it possessed was, for the longest time, beyond even our top scientists. After a long time, we finally had some success, but to this day… it is all that we have. Due to some power-algorithm that even our brightest and best could not work out, our Biorod replicas only contained 42 charges of the original staff's life-giving power."

Civet pressed another button on his remote, causing the hologram to shift to the side, and reveal another staff. It looked just like the original, but was instead solid white in color, and the aura of energy surrounding it was not quite as pronounced. Roku recognized it as _exactly _the same as his and Marks' staff.

"Look at this accomplishment; remember this failure. I am here today… to show you that we can do _much _better. We will travel into places unexplored by any before us! We will become like gods!"

There was a roar of applause and cheer from the audience. They seemed to approve of the idea. Roku was looking at this entire display in awe…

"Now, the Jaxxod Empire shall stride across the multiverse! Allow me to show you, the Quantum Entanglement device!"

The Professor pressed the button on his remote again, causing the hologram to shift into something rather different. Roku looked at the new hologram with interest. It was a gigantic set of rings, each interlaced in a massive shape. The entire device looked to be the size of a planet, given the ratio with the star in the background. The rings were composed of thousands of relatively gigantic space stations, held in place by some sort of gravity field, holding the stations in a circular shape. There was one large ring, with the other two slowly rotating inside of it. As they spun, the rings outlined the form of a gigantic sphere.

"This device will be placed inside this star system's asteroid belt. 240,000 kronon powered lasers are all aligned in this gigantic shape. Why you may ask? We calculate, that if enough kronon energy is funneled at a single atom, it could tear a hole in the continuum. This is no longer science fiction; this is reality. With this device, we can create and manage wormholes to other universes… subway systems to other planes of existence!"

_"Is this really true?" _Roku asked Stekvan.

_"It is… but the implications are in no way natural."_

_"What?"_

_"Just watch…"_

Civet continued, "So… who's with me? Who wants to enter a new era for the Jaxxod? Who wants our empire to strive for things _beyond_ this reality?"

The audience erupted in a cry of approval. The cheer eventually turned into an ongoing applause, as the many high ranking members of the Jaxxod Empire stood up and clapped.

"Thank you… thank you," Civet said, resuming his speech now that the audience had sat down, "So… I'm assuming I have funding for this project? I guess so. We'll if that's all settled, then I guess we'll just…"

"It is not settled!" said a Jaxxod in the very back of the theater. He had just burst through the doors, and was now sprinting down the isles. The Jaxxod appeared flustered, as if he had something extremely important to say.

"What are you doing, Stekvan?" Civet asked, looking over the edge of the stage and down at the captain.

Roku turned and faced the future captain next to him. Stekvan gave him the 'stop looking at me and watch what's happening' look. Roku smiled and turned back to face the stage.

The past Stevkan looked quite angry, glaring up at Professor Civet with malice.

"How could you do this? Don't you see? The Tesseract was not meant for us!"

"Ah, here we go again. Stekvan, you were once our empire's greatest captain!"

"I still am!"

"Really? Then why are you trying so hard to deny the empire you have tried so hard to protect the greatest advancement we have ever had in _all _of our history!"

"It is _not_ the greatest advancement! I can guarantee you that it will only bring destruction!"

"And what proof do you have to support this idea?"

Stekvan jumped up, grabbing the stage, and climbing to a standing position next to Civet. The Professor reluctantly handed the microphone over to the captain.

"People of the Jaxxod Empire, please listen to me!" Stekvan said, calling across the large room, "We have no knowledge of the Tesseract's origin. Why is it our assumption that it is a gift from the gods? Could it not be a curse from the devil? What evidence do we have towards anything?" Stekvan took a deep breath, and continued, "You all remember the stories of the Hiss and Crogenitors… do you not? Two great and powerful empires, that clashed until they were destroyed, with the few survivors being scattered across the cosmos. It is my belief, that there are three possible natural endings to any civilization. They either reach a point where they wipe themselves our, or are wiped out by an equally powerful empire… or, as some evidence suggest… they 'ascend.' I have no knowledge of how this ascension works… just that certain portions of the entanglement measuring device noticed quantities of energy moving around our universe. Things with energy pulses resembling neurons… energy life-forms. Creatures that were once like us, but that did indeed become like gods. There have been previous projects and divisions with a goal to reach ascension... but they were all shut down in lieu of Quantum Entanglement. Think about this… is ascension not what is truly natural? Should we not be striving for _this_."

"But you've forgotten something," Civet interrupted, "This conversation, your life, and all that you know… would _never_ have existed if it weren't for the Tesseract."

"Yes… but that doesn't make it good! _Nothing _should be able to advance creatures as fast as this did! It is _unnatural_. And there's something more… Sol III; That world is currently in a time-share with the Matrini empire."

"What's that got to do with this…"

"I traveled throughout the galaxy, searching every planet for signs of something that matched the Alminar gas… you remember it don't you? That toxic, foul gas that killed so many of our colleagues. How could anything that creates that be good?"

"Enough… just continue."

"The gas is the perfect deterrent towards any empire that the Tesseract _doesn't_ belong to. Think about it… if an empire _does_ deserve the Tesseract, would it not make sense for them to be _strengthened_ by the gas? What better way to convey a message without words, than the distribution of power?"

"

"Sol III… that planet's atmosphere has a kronon level matching the alminar gas exactly. When combined, they cancel each other out, leading to a new outcome where the breather of the gas is strengthened by…"

"I've heard enough… this is foolish gibberish! Your on my last fiber of patience, Stekvan. We need to begin work on the Entanglement project."

"We do not!"

"If this is all true… then why are there no sentient creatures on Sol III? Hm? Why is it that the Tesseract arrived and there was nothing on that planet for it to advance? What do you even propose doing?"

"I propose we purchase the planet from the Matrini Empire and use on of the Biorods on it, placing the Tesseract there and then waiting for sentient life to emerge."

"Listen to yourself, Stekvan! We're on the verge of the greatest advancements ever, and your trying to set us back by placing our most valuable artifact on a Vacation Planet!"

"The Tesseract is not our most valuable artifact, it is a curse! We have no idea what we'll find on the other side of the portal that we open."

"The next level of our existence!"

"No _you_ listen to yourself, Civet! You're trusting your entire life to an object… a cube!"

Civet looked furious now.

"Gaurds! Escort this rouge captain out of here!"

Three large robotic drones hovered onto the stage, pulling Stekvan's arms roughly behind his back, and binding them in handcuffs.

"You'll regret this…" Stekvan said, "I promise you."

The guards pushed Stekvan off the stage and out of the conference room.

Roku watched as this happened, stunned by Civet's behavior. The Tesseract's power really was like a addictive substance…

The Tharian wasn't even paying attention as the Stekvan next to him raised his hand. With another snap, they were thrown into another memory…

**FLASH.**

Roku stumbled to get his footing again. He shook his head to bring the world back into focus, and then looked around for Stekvan. The Jaxxod was just across the room, looking at Roku with a funny expression.

_"What is it?"_

_"You obviously have never experienced memory sharing before… have you?"_

_"Well no… but, where are we now?"_

_"Another 20 years in the future. The Quantum Entanglement device is now functional. It was tested in creating short sustainable wormholes inside this universe, and now it's going to be used for its main purpose…"_

_"Leaving the universe,"_ Roku finished, realizing where this was going, _"Stekvan… you know, the past you… said that there were three natural endings to a civilization. Is that true?"_

_"By everything that I know, yes."_

_"And this biorod… the one I got… is just a replica?"_

_"Indeed."_

_"But how did you even…"_

_"Just be patient, and observe what happens next. This memory remains burned in my mind. It will never leave me. It is the day the Jaxxod fell to the shadows."_

Roku took this opportunity to look around, noticing that they were inside a closet of some kind. Miscellaneous cleaning devices were lining the walls, and a rectangular silver door stood between them and whatever was outside.

Stekvan moved forward, and passed through the door with ease, being followed by an amazed looking Roku. The Tharian stopped in his tracks. This new view was beyond stunning…

They were in a massive room quite similar to a space craft's command deck, only due to the shear size of it, this was obviously a space _station_ of some kind. Jaxxod were bustling about everywhere Roku looked. There was a large balcony-like platform near the back of the room, and numerous computer stations and interface panels placed all around the bottom level. The walls were different shades of blue, while the ground had a defined silver tint.

The computers were by far more advanced than anything Roku had laid eyes on before. Each one seemed to be processing more data than half of any other regular space fearing race's computers… _combined._

Most of the Jaxxod in this control room were wearing white lab-coats, and several of them were running back and forth between different panels, as if they were trying desperately to make last minute adjustments.

In the front of the room was a gigantic viewing window. Although, Roku immediately noticed that there was no _physical_ window. It was a perfectly clear shield, giving the appearance that there was actually an opening in the side of the station. The Tharian's view was not obstructed at all as he looked out into the vacuum before him.

They were in an asteroid belt, but all of the rocks that would normally be a nuisance were being held a great distance away due to some magnetic field. Right in the center of this opening was the Quantum Entanglement Device. Just as Roku had seen it in the convention, it was an extremely large set of 3 rings, each one nested inside the other. They were slowly rotating, giving the impression that it was being powered up. The rings, according to all of Roku's training, were manufactured out of raw regimight, one of the toughest and hardest to find minerals in the galaxy. It powered present-day Grox death rays… but even so, it remains one of the most powerful sources of energy available. This device was beyond capable of great devastation.

"The modules are aligned… are we ready?" said a familiar voice.

Roku spun around to see Professor Civet standing on the balcony behind them. He was addressing the crew of scientists below.

"Yes sir, the entanglement beams are calibrated and ready to be used," said a scientist on the other side of the room.

"Excellent… now, is there anything really left to be done?"

"Not really, unless you count starting the device itself."

"Well then," Civet said, looking excited, "Spin the rotors. Turn on primary Xenon radiators!"

The scientists on the bottom level got themselves situated at different panels, each beginning to frantically press a multitude of keys.

Roku was startled as he noticed the entanglement device begin to speed up. The rings were moving quite fast, increasing at an undeterminable rate. All three rings were rotating in different directions, creating a massive spherical cluster of spinning rings.

"Fire Kronon beams level 1!" Civet ordered.

Beams of red energy were fired out of panels lining the interior of the centermost ring. The all collided at the same point, creating a shining ball of plasma. The orb became a pronounced spec off in the distance, right in the center of the mass of rings.

"Kronon beams level 2!"

The middle ring fired similar lasers, creating the same, but increased, effect. As the rings were also rotating, it was nearly impossible to keep track of the different origin points in the complex mass of kronon beams.

"Sir, I'm reading an influx in space-time distortion. The entanglement device is causing this entire area of space to weaken."

"Perfect," Civet said, "Fire level 3!"

The final outermost ring launched its succession of beams, all of which coincided at the center of the entanglement device. Whereas normally, space-time distortions are invisible to the eye, light around the device appeared to bend and warp towards its shining center. Roku watched as the rings spun faster and faster, and the energy within the center of the device grew brighter.

"Rift status!" Civet shouted.

"We're 47% through the space-time barrier!" another scientist shouted back, having to do so because of the increasing noise the entanglement device was making. It was like the sound of a gigantic plane engine, a large and long hum that was steadily increasing in volume.

Roku noticed that the gravity of the entire station appeared to be shifting slightly. The singularity at the center of the rings was growing in power, pulling in everything around, in a manor not unlike a black hole.

"79% sir!"

The singularity was growing brighter.

"84%"

The rings were moving at a speed that couldn't be noticed by Roku's eyes. It was just a spherical blur.

"92%"

The energy was expanding outwards, in a light that obscured everyone's vision.

"99%!"

The entire space station began to shake violently.

"100%!"

What followed was the largest disaster Roku had ever witnessed.

All of the shining white energy collapsed inwards, pulling in towards the infinite singularity. Not even 2 seconds later, it exploded violently, releasing a cascade of radioactive particles and a torrent of exotic forms of energy. The rings were ripped apart and disintegrated. The space station's shields were depleted in an instant, and the entire stability of the highly advanced Jaxxod architecture was pulled apart. The space station of was vaporized in a blast of fire, a wave of dark energy. The singularity was releasing a seemingly infinite supply of power all at once.

Roku's eyes were wide as everything around him was destroyed. All of the Jaxxod on the station were gone. Civet was dead. The Jaxxod's "greatest advancement" was wiped from existence in the blink of an eye.

It was all gone.

_"What…"_

_"It's not over…"_ Stekvan said, _"This is when HE appeared, blasting his consciousness into the rest of the empire."_

In the distance, the singularity still had a faint glow, like a candle burning in the dark.

From within the depth of the rift, a voice burst into the vacuum.

**Mortals of the Epsilon Universe… you were foolish enough to fall victim to my trap. You tried **_**so**_** hard to reach this end, and you shall suffer for your insolence at my power. I have existed since the dawn of creation, since before reality even was. I am the god before there were gods. I am the darkness of everything, of all of you. And now… I'm free to roam the physical world once again. I am Agriath, the ruler of all, the lord of darkness, and the master of the Tesseract. Feel my power!**

The singularity expanded in a cloud of darkness. It was as if a gigantic shroud was being cast upon the stars all around them. A cloud of intangible archon power was shooting out of the singularity with the force of another violent explosion. Something was coming through the rift… something huge, something more powerful than anything they knew of.

The darkness was expanding outwards past the hovering ghost-like forms of Stekvan and Roku. The Tharian looked upon this event with awe. Agriath was entering their world.

_"But… what could be done about this?"_

Stekvan raised his fingers and snapped again.

**FLASH.**

They were inside of a small circular ship. It had a column in the center, with a control panel that extended on all sides. It was an odd way to control a ship, but it appeared as though the user could manipulate and see the exterior through panels lining the column. Not to mention the fact that the entire "wall" was actually a thick, nearly impenetrable window. The way it was tinted though, made Roku think that if one were on the ouside looking in, it would appear as though it was a normal part of the ships wall. Regardless, Roku could look out and see the stars all around them. This small ship was shooting through space at a rather quick pace. The ceiling and ground were a slight shade of orange, with certain portions outlined in red. All of the metal was solid platinum, tinted in the different shades.

Roku took notice of the single pilot controlling the vessel. It was the past Stekvan, frantically moving from one part of the control panel to the next. That's when it clicked.

This was the ship Roku had seen in the galactic core.

The space craft jumped out of hyperspace, catching Roku by surprise.

"This is Captain Stekvan requesting entrance to the Primo colony, please respond!" the past Stekvan shouted at a microphone on the panel.

The form of another official looking Jaxxod appeared on the screen in front of him, looking quite distraught.

"Ah! Stekvan, it's you! Praise Spode! What is happening?"

"Everything that I feared…" The past Stekvan hesitantly looked over his shoulder and out the window behind him. This prompted Roku to do the same, who quickly turned around. In the distance was the expanding cloud of archon energy that was Agriath. "If my readings are correct," Stekvan continued, "then this creature of darkenss has covered nearly 70% of the galaxy… we have minutes until it reaches here!"

"But... but what is it doing?"

"Nothing yet, its just shrouding everything in an impenetrable darkness, but I cannot guarantee for how much longer that will be the case."

"What could have caused this?!"

"Our own foolishness."

"Then what in all of existence are we going to _do_ about this?" the official exclaimed, looking quite worried.

"I need this planet's supply of biorods, along with the original. I think… no… I KNOW that the Staff of Life was not just a coincidence. It came here for a reason, a _message_ maybe. It is our chance to combat the evil that the Tesseract has brought upon us."

"In what way?"

"Agriath is the lord of darkness. Well… let's see how he fares with the ultimate force of life."

"And you're… sure about this?"

"I sure hope so," Stekvan responded, trying to give a slight smile, "I'm going to need your entire supply of biorods, not to mention the original staff."

"You realize the extremity of that request, right?"

"Please just beam them all up to my ship. The survival of all that we know is at risk here."

"But…"

"Professor Civet is dead! Please, just do this!"

"All right, priming teleport now…. Locking on to your cargo bay… there. The staffs are being put aboard."

"How many?

"Around 200, along with the original."

There was a chime to signalize the completion of the teleport.

"But what about Primo? That organism will get restless."

"That's the least of my concerns right now…"

"What do you plan on doing?" the Jaxxod said, looking at the captain with concern.

"What we should have done a long time ago."

Stekvan pulled down on a large lever, causing his ship to shoot back out into hyperspace, rocketing through the Aeron galaxy.

They flew in silence for 2 minutes, with Stekvan looking down at the control panel with a look of nervousness and yet it seemed… contention.

The ship dropped suddenly out of hyperspace, surprising even the past form of Stekvan. He looked wildly at the panel, and an expression of fear immediately filled his face. The robotic voice of the computer said, "17 trillion xetons of archon energy approaching ship. Evasive maneuver highly suggested."

Stekvan turned and looked out the view window. He took slow steps towards the glass, staring at the approaching mass of darkness. Agriath was getting what he wanted, and Stekvan had to stop it. The Jaxxod closed his eyes for a moment, realizing what had to be done.

Stekvan snapped back into reality, moving away from the window and pressing a button on his armor. Roku noticed his personal shield activate.

"Teleport master staff to main bay," Stekvan said to the computer. Like it had in Marks' vessel, the staff of life appeared before the Jaxxod captain. He picked it up, holding the shining gold rod in his hands. Roku took a better look at the so called "master" staff. It definitely had a glow that made the replicas seem feeble, not to mention the solid gold structure of it.

"Here we go…" Stekvan said, taking a deep breath.

The Jaxxod pressed down on his short wave teleport, causing him to dematerialize.

The ghost forms of Roku and the future Stekvan moved up through the ceiling of the ship, passing through the metal with ease, where they appeared above the vessel, hovering. They saw the past Stekvan standing there, on the top of the ship, looking forward at the approaching cloud - a cloud so massive that it extended beyond Roku's vision in all directions. The ships gravity was holding Stekvan in place. From here, Roku could see, that without a doubt, it was the ship he had seen inside the galatic core.

Stekvan took another deep breath and called out into space, "AGRIATH! How can you do this? How can you think you're truly as powerful as you are?"

The darkness was right upon the ship, not even a mile or so away. It just stopped, like a giant wave that was about to crest, but that was frozen in time.

The voice boomed down at the captain.

**I was once all that there is, until I was forced to roam the existence between existences, the hollow outside of the Aether. Now I am here, ready to wreak havoc in your world. There is nothing you could say that would **_**ever**_** change my mind.**

"I tell you _now,_ that I will not stand for this, nor will anyone in all of time and space!"

**I am all that was, is, or EVER will be! I am the true god of the multiverse! I am infinitely bigger than everything that you do know, will know, or could ever possibly know, through the aid of ANY imaginable timeline! An infinitely small portion of my power would be your power times infinity! There is nothing you can do to stop me!**

"Yes there is."

**I can see inside of you, mortal! I know your secrets, the dark side of your soul. There is no escaping me – not now, not ever!**

"In all of infinity… in everything that I know, your words are simply a blasphemy to the true nature of the universe."

**Foolish…**

"I've heard enough from you! The very existence of the dark is what allows the light to be as amazing as it is! Don't you see? You were imprisoned because you were the only deity that didn't understand it."

**And now you're just coming up with ridiculous mythology…**

"Not now, not ever. Don't you understand? Or is it simpler than that… do you just _NOT_ understand?"

**I comprehend everything!**

"No, you don't. You, Agriath, do not understand good. You haven't, never will, nor could you possibly hope of ever understanding through the aid of ANY imaginable timeline!"

**I transcend beyond time! My power stems from the hollow of darkness! There is nothing in your arsenal that could inflict even the smallest damage on me!**

"Maybe not. But you… so dark… so evil, _incapable _of anything good. I look at you now, and see the only option. You shall be imprisoned just like you were before!"

**And what authority allows you to say that? I already have a foothold in this universe, forcing me to leave is impossible!**

Stekvan raised up the staff, allowing its bright energy to radiate outwards.

If Agriath could emit emotion, Stekvan might just have mistaken his next words for fear.

**What is that?**

"Your demise."

**But how… how could… you foolish mortal. Do you even have knowledge of how to wield it?**

"Oh… so it seems something has struck home…" Stekvan said, looking into the dark mass, "You may be the lord of darkness… but something tells me you might not fare to well against the ultimate force of life…"

**Really? Then tell me, Stekvan, what is the boundary between 'good' and 'evil.' What is it that truly defines my behavior? Ask yourself, are you basing these actions on the simple 'order' that you sentient races cling to, in hopes of striving from the truth… that you all are simply primitive races clinging to the light of stars! What is 'evil' but **_**anything**_** that goes against a sense of order?**

"Even so…" Stekvan said, staring right up at the mass of darkness, his form appearing to glow now due to the staff in his hand, "I will fight for order with all that I know! You may pursue chaos, Agriath, but it's the infinite complexity of order that binds this existence together!"

**So what are you going to do?**

"Finish the job."

Somewhere below, Roku heard the computer chime "course set for galactic core… entering hyperspace."

Stekvan's ship launched forward into warp, directly into the massive energy of the lord of darkness. The ghost Roku and future Stekvan followed suit, in a manor just like when they were falling towards the galaxy in the first place. They were moving right next to the ship as it blazed through the darkness.

Forming around the ship was a spherical shield of glowing energy. It was coming from the staff in Stekvan's hands, who was himself clinging to the top of the space craft, using some combination of the ships gravity and the Staff of  
Life to stay in place.

It was as if the master staff was powering the ship now, as by everything Roku new, this speed of travel was physically impossible. From where they were, to where they were going, was at least a fourth the length of the galaxy, and they were almost there!

The light around them was bending, twisting, and refracting in glorious colors. As they shot through the darkness, it was banished apart. They were burrowing a hole through the archon cloud.

The staff was the shining light of hope in a sea of darkness.

It was then that Roku remembered something that the mutated Primo creature had once said to him…

_…a twilight fell across the stars. Everything went black. I couldn't see anything. The universe fell into despair… and I saw my destiny. It was the lord of darkness, breaking through into our world… escaping from his eternal imprisonment… But then… a bright light emanated from the galactic center. It was glorious… and within seconds… Agriath was gone. His shadows cast away…_

This was it. This was the day that Stekvan banished Agriath.

The ship dropped out of hyperspace.

They were hovering above the galactic core. The shining bands of color with gas and stars the swirled into its depths… The incredibly dense celestial entity that binds the entire galaxy together.

"Agriath! I henceforth imprison you within the galactic core!"

Stekvan raised the staff, which immediately emitted a burst of light, rivaling stars in their power. The energy from the staff extending in every direction, exploding outwards like wildfire.

The dark cloud was present all around them… but now, something was different.

**NO! You can't have the ability to do this? How? How could a pathetic mortal lead to this?**

The darkness was being pulled inwards, funneling towards the galactic center, as if the drain had just been pulled in a galaxy sized bath tub.

"There are no pathetic mortals, Agriath!" Stekvan exclaimed.

Agriath's energy was falling into the core, spiraling towards its depths. The cloud of energy that had just, moments before, been consuming the galaxy, was being sucked inwards, in a vortex of light.

Stekvan turned and faced the core, pointing his staff forward.

"For henceforth, the core shall be a prison of time! You will be cut off from the dark hollow, you will lose your supply of power, along with your physical form. You will become weak, and trapped within the center of the Aeron galaxy! No one shall free you… not now, _not ever!"_

**Impossible! I am the true reality! I am the void!**

"I hereby also use the power of the biorod to seal the rift created by the Jaxxod! This universe is whole once again, safe from your never-ending wrath!"

**Reality will never be safe from me!**

"Be gone!"

An explosion of energy emanated from the staff of life. It rocketed towards the core, hitting it full force, and exploding in a cascade of light. The rest of Agriath's darkness was quickly absorbed within the infinite depths. All that could be heard was the long drone of _**Nooooo!**_

Before there could be a calm, something terrifyingly unexpected happened.

**You are coming with me!**

One singular tentacle of archon energy extended from the core, wrapping itself around Stekvan's ship. The engines tried to resist, but they were no match for the force Agriath was exhibiting.

"No… this can't…" Stekvan exclaimed, looking wildly around.

Before he could say another word, Stekvan and his ship were pulled into the depths of the galactic core. The circular craft, with its four metallic prongs, and advanced Jaxxod technology, plummeted into the prison with Agriath.

But something else happened. In the random chaotic turn of events, Stekvan had released his grip on the staff. Roku followed it with his eyes as it flew through space, shooting away from the galactic core, creating a trail of life energy behind it.

"No!" Stekvan shouted, as he helpless was pulled to his dim fate.

Stekvan disappeared beyond the event horizon.

There was stillness in space.

Agriath's shadows were gone completely, creating an eerie calm all across the cosmos. It was long and dark silence. Most of the galaxy would have no idea what had just occurred… but it had more significance than anything imaginable.

The core looked just as it normally did… a massive black hole, with swirling energy, and an invisible center. Roku couldn't even explain what he felt about what he just saw.

Their ghost forms were still hovering above the core.

_"You… saved the entire universe…"_

_"I did… but at a price."_

_"You remained locked in the core for 300 billion years, protecting Agriath from all those who came near."_

_"Yes, I was the Guardian of Darkness, as some called me."_

_"What happens after this?"_

_"A sad… sad fate for my empire. They were driven by guilt, hate, and fear. They had released the darkest entity imaginable into existence, and they hated themselves for it. The Tesseract was launched back into space, the Jaxxod hoping to never__ see it again."_

_"But that means..."_

_"My race was no longer capable of advancement, yes. The path of accelerated evolution that the Jaxxod had committed to when they decided to keep the Tesseract was abhorrently unnatural. Any further advancement without the Tesseract was impossible. My race was now stuck in an unnatural rut of their own creation. They could NOT advance any further... but that didn't stop them from trying."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Given the near obliteration of our empire because of something I had relentlessly warned against... the Jaxxod finally began to heed my advice. They wanted to attain the natural 'ascension' that I had spoken of. They turned their science inwards and began to alter their genetic code in a futile attempt to make themselves 'perfect.' Entire planets were devoted to the research of attaining a purely psionic state. To some it became an obsession more tangible than anything before. Simultaneously present was an unwavering directive to protect the galactic core from anyone who might seek to, purposefully or otherwise, release Agriath from his prison. Hopefully, Roku, you are clever enough to see where this is going."  
_

_"They... they continued to alter themselves. Generation after generation. To... to make themselves in tune with energy they resorted to... they resorted to..."_

_"Cybernetics. Cloning. A massive Matrix of Inter-connectivity. A psionic network built in the hopes that it would enhance their progress towards ascension... pooling together their collective intelligence. It didn't work, nothing could. The Tesseract had made their evolutionary path hopelessly unnatural. Ascension was impossible."_

_"No..."_

_"Eons passed. The Jaxxod changed. They devolved. They lost their sanity. They became violent. Any Jaxxod that didn't submit to the changes was killed off. The once proud and noble race... was long, long gone. My bretheren... consumed by themselves. But it didn't end there... thanks to their continual cybernetic implants, convulsion within the Central Matrix, and an ungodly amount of genetically engineered clone-like generations... they forget __WHY they had to protect that Core... and only retained the unyielding and virulent desire to protect the Galactic Core at all costs. That became their sole purpose. Anyone who even hinted at countermanding this directive was to be subject to immediate obliteration."_

_"They... they became the Grox."_

_"A change of names could never do it justice, Roku. They became destruction itself. The Jaxxod died, Roku. They died a long, long time ago. The Grox are something completely different. They are a race of hellspawn born from the ashes of my race's foolishness. They became so chaotically insane... that archon energy, the energy of the deity they had forgotten they were imprisoning, became desirable to them. Agriath's excess archon energy would occasionally leak from the Galactic Core. The Grox would capture it, spread it out across their controlled worlds, and enhance it with their own actions of pure malice and anti-life. It was not Agriath himself, but it was his essence. That essence corrupted the Grox far more than even I considered possible. They became so filled with archon that they could no longer survive outright on worlds of even the remotest life-giving properties. Life was now toxic to them... poison to their corrupted souls."_

_"And through all this... you remained within the Galactic Core."_

_"Yes. And even if… by some miracle… a brave captain was driven by curiosity enough to break through the empire's strongest and hateful empire and actually REACH the galactic core… I was the last line of defense. I gave each captain that succeeded a replica of the staff of life. They believed it to be the meaning of which they came for… and left. I could not risk anyone getting near Agriath. On top of that, however, I also needed to make sure I could convey a message."_

_"How?"_

_"In the core I went by the name 'Steve…' something that I was called when I was much younger. Later on, Captain Marks would use the preconscious genetic code to make my name a common name on Earth, in my honor."_

_"And you told us about the time-share on Sol III…"_

_"Indeed I did. I needed someone to break earth's Kronon lock. The Matrini Empire, who at one point were the owners of the time-share on Sol III, were wiped out in a war with a neighboring empire. After that... the Kronon lock was left forgotten. The planet's evolution toward's any stage of life higher than non-sentient creatures was impossible. I knew that the Tesseract truly belonged there, and even from my prison… I would make sure it reached its destination. I recorded my message and programmed the ship to relay it whenever a new space craft arrived in the core. I then put myself into one of my ship's stasis pods, not wishing to experience what turned out to be 300 billion years of being trapped. It's hard to explain the physics within the core... but I could see the galaxy develop around me. I witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations, and I despaired over what was happening to my own empire…"_

Roku was silent.

_"Unfortunately for me, Agirath wasn't just going to sit quietly and respectfully while I conveyed my message to approaching captains. Without a connection to the realm he came from, he lost his power whilst residing in the core. He no longer had a voice powerful enough to communicate physically with other creatures within the temporal prison. So... he messed with my recording. He changed the vocal relay pitch. He moved words around and made me sound like a freaking salesperson. It was exceptionally annoying. I tried my best to reverse his efforts... but it was only to a slight avail. As I'm sure you noticed, I presently sound nothing like the erratic being you encountered five years ago when you received your Staff of Life."_

_"No... you don't. You voice is much deeper."_

_"Exactly. Agriath didn't want me to successfully communicate anything. My original message was intended to sound grandiose and purposeful, whilst still informing the traveler that, if not already done so, Sol III needed its Kronon Lock to be broken. If the Tesseract ever returned... I did not want a repeat of the Fall of my race. I needed earth to have life and a sentient race, so that any new race that received the Tesseract would eventually be able to link the Alminar Gas to an actual developing empire... and not just an empty planet. Agriath's efforts ensured that that would not happen for a long time. Unfortunately for him, transferring possession of a Biorod replica to the Captains successful enough to reach the Core would almost immediately ward off any continued progress towards Agriath. They believed they had attained what they had came for... and left, leaving Agriath stuck and me as the continued Guardian of Darkness."_

_"And then of course… the Tesseract landed on Thar…"_

_"Do you see now? How this whole story unfolds?"_

_"But then… if all of this is true… then how has Agriath escaped right now? How is he terrorizing the universe once again? And how are you outside the core?"_

_"Captain Dimitri of the Amahani Empire."_


	24. Sight Unseen

_And I'm back with another chapter of this epic story!_

_Also, VeeVeeNightingale did some awesome art for this story. The first is of the scene in her story "A Little Fight? For Regimight?" when Veara fights Roku. The second is of a scene WAY back in chapter 9 when Roku is talki__ng to Chase in the Tyro hospital. Links to both can be found on my profile._

_And in terms of this chapter: It is another one where I decided to break off the beginning and release it as a separate chapter, mostly because I thought I was taking to long. But this does mean it shouldn't be very long at all until I finish the next chapter. So... look forward to that!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**24:** SIGHT UNSEEN

The Artlen was striding down the darkened hallway, moving relentlessly towards the titanium door. Its motion sensors detected her presence, and she moved through with ease. She had a destination to reach, and nothing was going to stop her.

She was Veara. The one, the only, the ever-respected high commander of the Grox feet. Well… second in command to Civet that is. She resented that fact, but she resented who she was about to talk to even more.

Artlens were medium sized, with a cat-like head, containing long pointed ears, slightly noticeable whiskers, and feline teeth. Their fur tended to vary greatly in color between individuals, but most all of them had a smooth gradient from one color to the next. Veara's fur was red to a _darker_ red.

More so, all Artlens possessed a skirt-like section of feathers that surrounded their entire lower torso and upper legs. "Natural clothing" was something that empires tended to call it. Artlen feet were also quite feline, with retractable claws, and a bone structure that placed them on their tip toes in a "relaxed" position. Their natural hands were also claws. Veara possessed a length of hair, which she had tied up in a pony-tail behind her head.

However, Veara's entire right arm was covered in glowing Grox circuitry. An "upgrade" is what they called it. Her right eye was also gone, replaced with the typical Groxian cyber-vision device.

The Grox survived off of forced genetic creation, cloning, and cybernetics. They had lost their dependence on life billions of years ago. Veara was no exception. They had found the weak Artlen crash landed on their homeworld. They took her in… not for pity. Oh no… "pity" was not in the Grox vocabulary. They took her in because they saw potential in the young Artlen. They wiped her mind. They brainwashed her. Her thoughts became Grox-like, and appendages were replaced with cybernetics. She was one of them now.

Veara burst through the large door, striding into the dimly lit room as fast as she could.

"I suggest you start explaining why you summoned me, Alan," Veara said, obviously frustrated, "You know I don't like being ordered around."

The human turned around to face the Artlen, a smirk on his face. "Calm down… just tell me weather or not you brought the requested prisoner."

"I did, and would mind explaining to me why that pathetic Tharian is of any use to us?"

Alan stepped back towards the control panel he had been working at, "He is the New Tharians' smartest engineer. He designed the dark energy cores, and he will allow us to open the gateway."

"Oh really," Veara responded, stepping next to the panel and looking at Alan, "And what do you hope to accomplish with that?"

"Carry out the Grand Masters wishes, just like all of us will."

Veara snorted.

"How could such a low-level organism such as yourself even be recruited into the Grox army? How could anyone as inferior as you become a member of this force?"

Alan let out a cold and long laugh.

"That's pretty funny coming from you…"

Veara grabbed hold of Alan's shirt, holding him up off the ground, "May I remind you, human, that I have not been a member of my species for thousands of years! I have been alive since before Marks even seeded life on your puny world!"

"And yet, your race was never meant to comprehend the Tesseract, only mine was."

"What is this you speak of?"

"It's interesting… the Grand Master placed his eternal truth inside of my consciousness, to guide me on the path to glory… but when I look at you, I see something more…"

"Spit it out Alan!"

"I see the very power of Agriath in your eyes…"

Veara dropped the human, who took a stop back.

"What?"

"I have a felling your role in this is larger than you think, Veara. You say you've lived for thousands of years… then tell me… have you witnessed Agriath before?"

"Of course, Alan! Twice before now has the great lord of darkness attempted freedom from his unfair containment! I was there for both of them!"

"Enlighten me on what happened."

"The rise of Emperor Zarkhator and the schism that occurred afterward. Not even that long ago… Yagoda's attempt to unite the Grox and release the dark one!"

"Interesting… our god has tried to return multiple times before…"

"Indeed he has, but now that he has finally escaped, the once stubborn mind of the Grox that tried so desperately to keep him in has seen the truth! Agriath is the only way!"

"In that case, then why don't you follow his orders," Alan responded, with a look that signaled that he had won the argument, "Bring in the prisoner then."

Veara smirked at the human, turning away and calling back out the door, emitting a shrill whistle.

Two Dronox came marching in, holding a disheveled looking New Tharian between them. He was struggling, trying to break free of his captors. The Tharian was covered in bruises, and torn up clothes. He looked seriously in bad shape.

"If I am correct…" Veara said, moving towards the Tharian, "This is not the first time you have been under Grox captivity, is it… Harko Salikan."

Harko glared up at the Artlen, holding back every part of him that wanted to kill her, even though he would have no way of doing so.

"That is correct," Harko responded, coldly.

"And you… you almost died, didn't you?"

"Yes, my workshop was destroyed by an anti-matter bomb."

"But you… your little short-range teleport activated its emergency feature didn't it?"

"It did, I was pulled safely out of the debris field… but captured shortly after by the _foul_ Grox."

"For good reason. If not we would've had you shot dead on sight."

"And that reason would be?"

"Your skills as the New Tharians' main engineer. You're a member of a nearly dead species now. Most of your empire is gone."

"I know this," Harko said, looking into Veara's eyes with nothing but hate.

Harko tried to wriggle free of the Dronox again, but failed. Veara looked at the Tharian's wings, and noticed something interesting.

"Where'd you get those?" Veara asked, pointing at the large scars on Harko's wings.

"I would think you'd know. They're to stop me from escaping," Harko explained, "It's like impossible for me to fly with the… compliments of the Dronox interrogators."

Veara was smiling, "And did you give up any information?"

"I held back for a while. After all this isn't the first time I've been tortured by you vermin. Of course, I was finally forced to reveal how to operate the Main Control Tower's quantum core. Funny though, the Grox have an immense amount of mind probing technology… and they choose to interrogate me the old fashion way."

"It's more fun that way. After all, it's not like you were going to be needing your wings anytime soon anyway."

"Why do you say that?"

"There used to be a sub-species of Artlens with wings. Those full-of themselves 'Greater Artlens' and 'Winged Artlens.' It's no wonder that they died off. Only the smart and the resourceful can survive."

"Then how are the New Tharians the galaxy's second strongest empire?"

"Three things, foolish creature," Veara exclaimed, "One – the New Tharians are nearly gone, Two – the _Grox_ arethe most powerful race, and Three – your power was given to you by the Tesseract!"

"Ahem," Alan interrupted, stepping into the argument, "We're wasting time here."

"Of course," Veara said, backing off. Sometimes she seriously had anger management issues.

"Harko, may I introduce myself," Alan said, stepping between Veara and Harko, "I am Alan Marks, fourth in command of the mighty Grox empire."

"So let me get this straight… the hierarchy is the 'Grand Master,' Civet, Veara, and then you? Why is it that three out of the four of those aren't even Grox?"

"Fate has ironic ways of working things out," Alan responded, staring at the beat-up Tharian, "Now, down to business."

"And that would be?" Harko asked.

Alan walked back towards the control panel, pulling down on the archetypically large lever. There was a single dark metallic column in the center of the room that the interface was situated around.

The metal was sliding away; emitting a screeching noise at it did so. As it moved, a shining blue light flooded through the openings, filling the room with illumination. When it had fully opened, Harko was turning his head away, due to the immense amount of light that was radiating from whatever was inside the column.

"That's… that's…" Harko stuttered, "The Hypercube."

"Ha! You fool! That is its generic name. This object is the Tesseract! Don't you get it? Didn't you ever figure it out? 'Hypercube,' over a majority of races, means a 'geometric object with unfathomable properties.' But that's just the generic meaning. Specifically, on Sol III, a 'hypercube' is any cube with a number of spatial dimensions _higher _than 3."

"What do you mean 'higher than 3?' How is that even possible?"

"_And…_ A 'Tesseract' is specifically a four-dimensional cube. Think about it, Tharian, the raw energy of an entire extra dimension wrapped up and compressed into what could be considered, in this universe, an infinitely small space."

"What are you…?"

"This object has proprieties that you could never dream of. It was meant for my world. But I assure you… its purpose won't be fulfilled in _exactly _the way it was intended."

"Just tell me what you need me for!"

"Look at the Tesseract! Don't be deterred by the light… that is just an illusion. Stare into its depths!"

One of the Dronox grabbed Harko's neck, forcing him to look at the blue mass of light.

It was shifting and changing in brilliant shades of blue and indigo. Harko had never looked directly at it before. It was beyond his mind's ability to process it. Reality seemed to collapse as he stared at the object. It was impossible to comprehend, but the longer he stared at it, the more Harko began to see past the blur, and into the objects definite shape… a form which nearly hurt his eyes as he stared upon it.

It had the form of a perfectly translucent cube, with dark and visible edges that connected at undeniable right angles. The lines formed the cubes outline, while pulsations of unfathomable energy radiated from the core of the object. _Within that,_ was the form of a second, smaller cube, connected to the first with lines of the same color between the smaller cubes corners, and the corresponding corners on the larger cube. It was a cube _nested_ inside of another cube. The more Harko stared at it, the more he realized that it was just a geometric shape, shining and shifting in ways that were beyond his knowledge.

"I don't… I don't understand…" Harko said, strangely out of breath.

"It is more than just a shape, Tharian. It is of such simple form to make ease of trans-dimensional travel," Alan responded.

"Huh?"

"But it carries more than that… Did you ever wonder why I said it was meant for the people of my world?"

"It crossed my mind."

"There is a message embedded within the core of this object. A message that only my race can understand. More than just a message… instructions. I can hear it… even now… calling to me…"

"What are you…?"

"_But _if I amplify just the right wavelength, then you can hear it too."

Alan reached over and pushed down on another button.

Suddenly, the Tesseract's energy began expanding, forming a cloud of crystalline fog around the geometric shape. It was expanding and contracting to the beat of every syllable that emanated from it. For now… a voice was being projected from the depths of the object, something was talking _through_ the Tesseract.

**This is our last cry of eternal help! Reality is sinking into shadows! This is the collapse of all, the end of all! The deities of the void, the creatures of the physical, and the souls of the plain… all gone… all gone. Everything will end, all life… all death… all hope. This is our final chance! We send the Tesseract through the hollow into your existence, hoping to god that we can save what's left of it! Our world is nearly gone! Project Tesseract must advance! For the sake of humanity! For the sake of all life!**

** Humans of the Epsilon Universe, construct the receiving end of our Quantum Gateway. It will require knowledge and technology that the Tesseract will bestow upon you. With this, you can help us rebuild the light of the multiverse, and truth and freedom can shine again…**

Alan pulled the switch back, ending the message.

The metallic casing closed around the Tesseract, and the light was cut off from view. The room resumed its once dark aura.

"Why did you stop it?" Harko asked.

"The rest of the message is unimportant," Alan responded, swiftly, "All you need to know is this: We're building the Gateway. And it requires 14 xetons of dark energy."

"Ah… and you want _me_ to help you produce that."

"Yes."

"But that's… that's just a tremendous amount of power! I mean, even the citadel's core produces only 4% of the energy required for what you're talking about!"

"Well then, Tharian, I suggest you get to work!" Alan exclaimed, "Dronox, escort him back to the research room. Make sure he begins work _immediately_."

The cybernetic minions nodded, roughly forcing the disheveled Tharian out of the chamber.

Veara stepped up behind Alan. "Are you sure this will work? We don't want the Grand Master to be disappointed."

"Trust me, that's the last thing that I will allow to happen. The stratagem WILL advance!"

* * *

"So… are we going to maintain this awkward silence for the rest of the walk, or are we actually going to talk about something?" Maruck asked, a little bit of impatience in his voice.

Arcadia smiled, turning to look at the Scorpnak.

They were walking through a large open plain on the desolate world of Marksul. It appeared to have been, at some point, a field or park. Now, however, all that was left was a thin coat of ash and the occasional puddle of lava.

"I suppose we could talk about something," Arcadia responded, "What is it that you had in mind?"

"Well… let's see… there was that time you _shot _me."

"Oh come on, you know why I had to do that!"

"True… but you still hit me right in the chest with a freakin' plasma pulser!"

"Wait a minute… I thought you had energy from the core _of_ a plasma pulser in you, thanks to that alminar gas stuff… Did my blast even cause you any pain?"

"Well, um… that's an interesting question, isn't it…? I suppose one could _say_ that I didn't feel anything, and that I'm just doing this to complain and make myself appear morally better as a captain…. _OR_ maybe, and slightly more likely in my opinion, you caused me serious trauma and I may _never _recover."

"Really… serious trauma?"

"A near death experience I'd say."

"So let me get this straight… you're trying to make yourself seem weak and helpless to make _me _seem evil and heartless?"

Maruck smiled.

"Is it working?"

"NO!"

"Well _okay_ Mr. Grumpy Face."

Arcadia just snorted, turning away for a second.

"Well…" Arcadia said, attempting to re-kindle the conversation, "What else could we talk about? What's your rank as a captain anyway?"

"Oh… that doesn't matter…"

"Why? Is this because you know that I'm Omnipotent Class… and your not anywhere near that?"

"Hey, an Admiral captain isn't that bad!"

"Yeah…"

"Mind you, I spent 15 years in the Akros High School for Captains, one of the most highly respected captain training facilities _ever._"

"Okay then," Arcadia said, thinking of something, "Then I guess you wouldn't mind if you just answered a pop quiz question."

"Of course not. Go ahead."

"Very well. What is the fundamental reasoning behind the similarity of the names 'Starlen Empire' and 'Artlen Empire?'?"

Maruck didn't respond. He just kept walking with a defeated look on his face.

"That's not even captain school! That's 11th cycle Galactic History!"

"Come on! It's not like you played any attention in those boring classes!"

"How are you even a captain?"

"Hey! I bet I could answer your question if I tried!" Maruck concentrated for a second, and then began to formulate his answer, with obvious pauses, "Well… um… it's quite simple really. 'Starlens' really like the stars… and well, 'Artlens' are well known for their artistic talent."

Arcadia just had a look that clearly said _'You're an idiot.'_

"Ok…you're right. I have no idea what I'm talking about."

"For your information, 'Starlens' and 'Artlens' are similar because they share the same galactic SETI translator base, 'lens,' which commonly means 'children.'"

"Huh?"

"An indirect translation of 'Starlen' is 'children of the stars,' while the 'Artlens' are the 'children of art.'"

"But why…"

"They translator assigned them to be similar due to their vaguely similar biological structure. You know, feathers and claws basically. While a large difference may be that Artlens are bipedal, the other is the large diversity of Artlens."

"Yeah… aren't there a bunch of kinds?"

"Thanks to a rare genetic schism _way _back in the Artlen empire's history, there was a multitude of sentient Artlen variations. Some had wings, some didn't. Others had tails while some were gigantic in proportional size. The Artlens are of such variation, that it is almost like they are of some type of 'art.' Even each individual member of the species can be of a diverse color… or _colors. _Right now, the 'grounded Artlen,' the one without wings and of average size, is the most common, the majority of the variations genetic code having died out. However, sometimes, in rare cases, a genetic mishap can cause a child to be born of one of the other variations."

"Thanks for the history lesson."

"I'm just trying to pass the time."

"And the Starlens?"

"They are called so because their species is much more constant. They are a scientific race, stretching for the belief in progress and advancement. They make up for their lack of bipedal features with their stunningly quick levels of technological increase. They are 'reaching for the stars.'"

"Hey! I wasn't that far off!"

"Yeah… but honestly… I don't care."

"Wow, Arcadia. Just… wow."

They continued on their walk for a few minutes, until they at last came upon their destination.

Before them was the remains of a Grox outpost, supposedly having been created during the siege on this planet. The purpose of it was still unknown, but then again, that's why the two captains had walked all this way.

The base was relatively small, having no wall or fence. There wasn't a shield, or at least… anymore. The base consisted merely of a single spire-like building that appeared to be embedded into the ground, as if it was launched from space. The ground around the building was cracked, and a mild crater around the impact area had also been created.

The base was constructed of a black metal, with certain portions tinted red. There were no windows, rather a large amount of iris doors covering the entire thing, regardless of whether or not their position made any sense.

"What is this thing?" Maruck asked, "How is this is a Grox outpost?"

"That's what the scan said…" Arcadia responded, "Signature was definitely that of a Grox outpost, sent during the raid on this planet… but then again, we still don't know why we couldn't land closer to it without large amounts of interference… so I suggest we be careful."

"Agreed."

The two captains moved towards the looming form of the spire. There was no way this was a conventional building. It had been _forced _into this location.

They moved towards the nearest part of the wall. Arcadia pulled out his bladed knuckles, taking a step back and ushering Maruck to move away for a second.

"Are those new?" Maruck asked, looking at the powerful blades.

"Yeah, I put them on back at the base. While poison blades can sometimes take a good 20 or 30 seconds to cut through metal…"

Arcadia jumped forward using all four of his arms to slice in the same location on the side of the spire. The metal was severely weakened. The Chimera then used his powerful legs to kick the metal inwards, shattering the solid titanium like it was glass.

"…bladed knuckles take a good 5 seconds."

They stepped through, both of them having to duck to fit through the uncommonly small artificial doorway.

"What...?" Maruck said.

The interior of the spire was even more random. It was rather small, with a diameter of about 20 to 25 feet, in a near perfect circle. When they steeped through they fell a good 5 feet onto what appeared to be the floor. Above them, and making up a large portion of the spire, was a gigantic tank. There was nothing inside of it now, other than a strange greenish slime lining the walls. The tank was translucent and murky white, and had tubes extending out of the sides of it that were connected to the many iris doors around the spire.

"What is this thing?" Arcadia asked.

They looked at the circuitry that lined the walls, following it with their eyes. All of it converged on a small interface panel at the center of the room. It stuck out about 4 feet above the ground, and was oval in shape. The two captains rushed towards it, Arcadia immediately begging to investigate the different buttons. The panel was a good 10 feet below the tank above them, and connected to it by a bundle of wires, leading them to believe that this panel controlled the mechanics of the spire in some way.

"This is definitely not an outpost…" Maruck said.

"Figured that out, thanks," Arcadia responded.

"Don't be a smart alec."

"Only if you're not."

"Well then, any idea what this _is_?"

Arcadia pushed a few buttons.

"Just a sec… Gire told me how to hack into Grox computers a while ago. Apparently, all Grox systems are connected by a gigantic network… an 'internet' if you will."

"I've heard of that."

"Yeah, so… since this system is abandoned, I doubt we'll be able to reach the central matrix of Grox information… _but_ we may be able to find anything that was ever downloaded onto this archive."

"Like what?"

"Flight data for example. It's how the Chimera Alliance has been tracking where the Grox will fight next. We break into one of their outposts and find out what they had planned to do before they came here. This can give us great assumptions as to what they're going to do next."

"Great… um… good job Arcadia."

The Chimera rolled his eyes and resumed looking through the database on a small holographic screen. It was obviously designed for Grox use, as the entire system was a good 4 feet too short for Arcadia.

"Ah, yes! Here it is, I'm surprised I found it this easy."

"What did you do?"

"Um… well…"

"You used a defiler script didn't you? I told you that works!"

"This is unimportant… anyway… here is what I found."

Arcadia pointed at the screen. On it was a list of empires and planets attacked by the Grox in the past.

**Groxian Attack Stratagem/**

** \\PLANET1: Marksul PURPOSE: Destroy remains of Grand Master's feeble ancestors under his command**

** \\PLANET2: Thar PURPOSE: Retrieve Tesseract from undeserving ones / Crush New Tharians / Utilize power of re-united Groxian Empire for maximum potential**

** \\PLANET3: Sol III PURPOSE: Form army of Alminar Warriors for the opening of the gateway / gain control of race capable of constructing gateway (**_**MISSION UNSUCCESFUL)**_

** \\PLANET4: Barx PURPOSE: Stop Wex from discovering Tesseract true power / Obtain genetic blueprint for Delta**

** \\PLANET5: Phrychous PURPOSE: Throw only other threat empire into disarray / Break apart Chimera Alliance / Lure Chase to be destroyed by Alan**

"Oh wow…" Maruck said, looking at the list, "This makes sense of a lot of the seemingly random stuff that the Grox have been doing recently."

"Indeed it does… but still… what is with this place? Is it even an outpost?"

"Wait a minute…" Maruck said, pushing Arcadia out of the way.

"Hey!"

"No look!" Maruck exclaimed, pressing a few buttons and then pointing at another part of the screen. It read "Electro-Power Pulsation Cannons lowered to 0. Second firing ready…"

"Wait… that's electro magnetic pulse…" Arcadia realized, looking at the small screen as well.

"Yeah…" Maruck said. The Scorpnak captain pulled out his Message device, which had a striking resemblance to radio communicators on earth.

"This is Maruck calling to Chase and Aster. Repeat, Maruck calling to Chase and Aster."

There was a pause, and then a response.

_"This is Aster, I hear you loud a clear."_

"Great… um, me and Arcadia are here at the Grox outpost, and long story short… it's not an outpost. It appears to be a gigantic weapon of some kind, and by all of our examination, it's an electro magnetic pulse weapon."

_"Really?"_

"Yeah, I just wanted to see if that concurred with anything you and Chase had discovered."

_"Actually it does. We found video footage of just before this planet's fall. It was cut off abruptly in its ending. My guess is that they used an EMP on this planet to cause the failure of everyone's personal shields, if they even had one, and then they de-terraformed the planet. That's got to be one of the worst ways to die… slowly losing your atmosphere…"_

"Wow… I guess so. Even then, it fails to explain the other part of this spire-like base that we found."

Suddenly, another voice entered their conversation. It was Commander Talor.

_"Interesting," _Talor said, from wherever he was, _"We widened the scan for signatures like the base you encountered… and we've found them all over the planet. The Grox didn't place just that base there… they're placed in locations equidistant from each other all over the surface of Marksul."_

"Huh…" Arcadia said, "I guess you would need that if you were trying to EMP the entire planet."

"Yeah… but not the Grox… they're pretty darn advanced. I don't see why they would go to this complexity. There's got to be more to it…" Maruck said, looking back up at the strange murky tank above him.

_"I don't see what that would be," _Aster responded.

Maruck stared up at the tank, looking at the greenish grease-like substance that was clinging to the walls of it. It looked vaguely familiar. It didn't make any sense. Why would the Grox launch these spires into the ground all over the planet? What was the purpose?

The Grox reasoning seemed to be ridiculous, but as Maruck continued to look at the tank, and at the way it so conveniently connected to all of the iris doors, it clicked… but he wished it hadn't.

It was in the message they had just read, the Grox stratagem. Maruck didn't want to believe it, but he knew it was the truth.

…_Obtain genetic blueprint for delta._

This wasn't possible. This couldn't be. Maruck remembered back when they were one Barx. Professor Wex had said that the Deltas had destroyed the Grox invaders… but he'd also said that some of the Grox had escaped. What if they'd escaped with the Delta blueprint? What if they had created Deltas of their own? Enhanced them with Grox abilities? The ultimate warrior at the hands of the Grox.

Maruck stared at the tank above him, with its murky depths. This couldn't be happening. And there was something else; something that Wex had been so keen to explain.

_The Deltas can go into hibernation… disappearing as a valid life sign._

Deltas can absorb abilities. They can absorb the Grox's nature of surviving on barren planets. That's what the spires were for. Biological warfare. The Grand Master had wanted to, for some reason, destroy the Amahani to the fullest extent. He didn't just planet bust their home world, he made them suffer. He took away their technology with an EMP, he let the Delta's feed on the entire population, and then he de-terraformed the entire planet, turning the remaining life into ash.

Maruck was shaking, not wanting to believe the obvious facts.

"What is it Maruck?" Arcadia asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"The Deltas… the Deltas are here."


	25. Souls of Discontempt

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**25:** SOULS OF DISCONTEMPT

* * *

_"Some of our peers say that all answers are to be found at the center of the galaxy, but the Grox will not permit anyone to approach." -Scrolls of Harmony (Volume 10)_

* * *

Stekvan and Roku continued to hover above the elusive galactic core.

_"There is still more to show you,"_ Stekvan said, looking towards the Tharian.

_"I realize… so… what exactly did Dimitri do?" _Roku asked.

_"He grew impatient with his own species… he turned towards the darkness."_

_"But… how?"_

_"Before you witness the Amahani Captain's fall… you must understand something very important to this tale."_

_"And that would be?"_

_"This is not the first time Agriath has tried to escape from his galactic prison. As I said… I have witnessed the near escape of the dark one multiple times."_

_"What else has happened?"_

_"There was the time when the Grox were split into factions. Multiple empires that had a grim spite for each other."_

_"I had heard rumors of that…"_

_"Yes, during that time… a certain deity attempted to work through the Grox to achieve her desired goal."_

_"What?"_

_"Yes," _Stekvan explained, _"From an existence disconnected from our own… an ascended deity like that which I spoke of."_

_"But what does any of that have to do with what's happening now?"_

_"Nothing directly, it is merely part of the same tale… but not immediately important. Now… I'm sure you remember Captain Dimitri."_

_"Yeah, one of the Amahani captains. I think I even visited him like 5 years ago."_

_"Indeed you did."_

Stekvan snapped his fingers, causing the world to change again.

**FLASH.**

They were in a small and relatively cramped room. There was a desk covered in random papers and a holographic computer panel to the side of it. Behind them was a bed, with the covers in a large amount of disarray. Upon the bed sat a young looking Amahani. He had the typically large Amahani eyes and hands, along with the two tusks like teeth that stuck out from under his lips. Currently he was squinting at what appeared to be a worksheet that was in his hands, on top of one of his binders. He would occasionally get frustrated and erase something with his holo-pen.

_"I'm sure you know where we are."_

_"Yeah… it's Dimitri's dorm at the Akros School for Captains. How can you see this?… it's not your memory."_

_"Like I said, when I was in the core, I had temporal sight of everything in the galaxy, one of the few benefits to being imprisoned in an infinitely dense celestial entity."_

There was a knock on the door.

The young Dimitri looked up from his work.

"Who is it?"

"Shouldn't you know who I am, Dimitri? I was told by the headmaster that you're quite an exceptional student. It's me, Captain Roku."

Dimitri's eyes were wide. He got to his feet with exceptional speed, immediately beginning to clean up the clutter in his room. He squashed all the papers on his desk into a single pile. He shook his bed sheets a few times in a vain attempt to get them straight. He even moved some of the pictures on the wall so that they wouldn't be crooked.

"So… um… can I come in now?" Roku questioned from outside.

"Yeah um… just a sec…" Dimitri responded, making a few final adjustments. He then walked over to the door, sliding his hands over the dna matching lock. It clicked, and opened. The New Tharian captain smiled as he stepped through and into Dimitri's relatively small dorm.

The future Stekvan and Roku stood of to the side, observing the situation.

"What brings you to a place like this, captain?" Dimitri asked.

"Well, sometimes I'm sent out to talk to emerging captains with great potential. You are clearly one of them."

"Really?"

"Yeah. As I understand it, you're going to be graduating next year. You're going to be given a crew of your own, a starship, and the entirety of the Aeron Galaxy to explore. I'm just here to give you a bit of advice."

"Oh… by all means. Of course I would listen to advice from the great Roku."

"First, avoid Zealot empires… just, in general."

"Yeah…"

"Second, if you ever get a signal from a planet that looks interesting but isn't fully scan-able, don't go there. There's bound to be pirates. And third… and most important…"

"Never Underestimate any Circumstance. The universal captain code. The ultimatum of all ideals. The thing any respectable captain understands: that the universe is infinite, so be infinitely prepared."

"Very good. I see the curriculum hasn't changed very much here. So… before I go… do you have any questions for me?"

"Actually… I do."

"Go ahead."

"I know you reached the galactic center not even a year ago… if you can… could you please tell me what you found there."

Roku raised his eyebrows.

Dimitri tried to explain, "Well… it's just that… you know… I've lived most of my life before this in a society driven by peace and religion. Rarely do we even have captains… my empire sent me here because I was different, because I dared to question their lifestyle. I hated it… to be honest. But now… I want a goal. I want a reason to be out in space. If there is nothing to strive for… then what is life anyway?"

"Well…" Roku said, taking a moment to think of an answer, "Even if I told you, I don't imagine the answer would quell your hunger for the meaning of life…"

"What do you mean?"

"I rarely tell people what I encountered… but I suppose I can make an exception."

"Really?"

"Of course… You see… oh… it's all so strange. I encountered a being calling himself 'Steve.' He gave me a speech… to be honest it sounded more like a sales pitch, but in the end, I was given a device. The 'Staff of Life' as he called it. It could turn barren worlds into worlds of life."

"Wow…"

"Yes, but after that I was forced to leave. There was nothing more. Steve was nowhere close to Spode, God, or whatever you prefer… he was just Steve. It left me with more questions than answers. Like… why would the Grox guard the galactic core so forcefully anyway? It still makes no sense…"

"But what if… what if Steve wasn't what was truly there? What if Steve was just in the foreground… and the truth was lurking just behind him. What's to say Steve wasn't just a disguise… testing your ability to see reality?"

"What? Dimitri, understand that maybe the universe isn't as simple as everyone encountering 'ultimate meaning' in there life. Just calm down."

"But… what if Steve is just another trial… another tribulation? What if Steve was a guard?"

"Interesting ideas Dimitri… but I think you'll have to go to the galactic center yourself if you want to find that out."

"I will! Oh I will, great captain Roku Azero!"

"I wish you luck with that," Roku said, getting up and moving back towards the door.

"I won't let you down!" Dimitri said, a look of confidence on his face.

"Dimitri… you're just a graduate. How are you going to actually succeeded in such an attempt?"

"Roku… you said it yourself. Never underestimate any circumstance."

The New Tharian captain smiled and walked out the door.

"Nice meeting you, Captain Dimitri."

**FLASH.**

They were in the main command deck of an advanced spacecraft. The metal was mostly gray with some portions a dark shade of blue. The ship's command deck was divided into two portions, typical to most space-age fighting vessels. There was a lower area for the cadets and other pilots, and a somewhat small platform for the ship's captain.

Roku did a double take.

It was Dimitri.

Dimtri was sitting in the captain's seat shouting commands at the pilots and engineers below. Roku could see the cadets bustling back and forth between interface stations in the lower area. There were two weapons managers, a biotechnician, and a communications expert, very similar to the configuration of Arcadia's spacecraft.

"Corvek! Lower extrapolation cannons! I'm taking us back into hyperspace."

"Copy that Captain!"

"And Bernath, relay the command to the other two Amahani vessels."

"Of course!"

The Amahani weapons manager to the right made a few adjustments to the screen in front of him, causing a noise to resonate throughout the ship. It was the slow dissipation of the ships main cannons.

Roku looked out the front window. They were rocketing through a field of Grox battleships, all of which seemed to be pursuing the Amahani vessel with relentless determination. There was the occasional explosion as a blast from their craft would impact a Grox vessel, causing it to burst into flames, sometimes colliding into their hull. Roku knew what Dimitri was trying to do.

He was trying to reach the center of the galaxy.

_"When did this happen?"_ Roku asked Stekvan.

_"1 year ago…"_

_"Dimitri mastered being a captain that fast?"_

_"I will explain later, for now… pay attention."_

Roku turned back to the scene.

"Entering hyperspace…. Now!"

The light around everyone was stretched out farther than their eye could see, and within seconds, they were blasted forward into the space distortion. The warp engines were propelling them into the faster-than-light mode, allowing them to make great progress towards the core.

"What's our status in terms of distance from the destination?" Dimitri asked.

"We're 15 parsecs from the galactic core," Bernath, the engineer, responded, "Due to the gravitational effects of the core, its unsafe to jump directly to the there. We're going to have to take a 5 star detour…"

"What is the probability of a hyperspace jump to the core right now?"

"Sir… I don't think…"

"Tell me!"

"Um… I'd give it a good 20% sir. It's highly unlikely that…"

"Course correct for the core."

"Captain!"

"Are you questioning me?"

"No… I just…"

"We are going to reach the core. We cannot risk going to another Grox star system. All of the worlds around here are heavily defended, and the ship is badly damaged as it is. Do you not remember when you volunteered for this mission? You said that you'd serve the Amahani expedition to reach the core, so that our race could finally attain enlightenment. We will find out that TRUTH about what lies in the core! We cannot risk another…"

"We can't risk this either!"

"Are you interrupting me?"

"Fine! I'll adjust the course."

Bernath returned to his panel, moving a bunch of switches and levers. The holo-screen in front of him lit up with a green confirmation screen.

The vessel shook for a moment as the hyperspace tunnel changed direction.

"Excellent."

The ships flew in silence for about 20 seconds, until the ship dropped violently out of the hyperspace tunnel.

A large amount of sparks were shooting out of the wires in the walls, and the entire vessel was shaking violently, in a manor that was not unlike crashing into the surface of a planet.

"What in the…" Dimitri shouted, "Status report!"

Bernath looked through different parts of his holo-screen.

"Oh… oh my god…"

"What is it?"

"We made it through the tunnel… but the other two ships didn't. They were swallowed by the void particles…"

"Acceptable losses… we're here aren't we?"

"What?" shouted another cadet, the second weapons expert, "How can you say that? My brother was on one of those ships!"

"Then he will have perished knowing that he died for a great cause," Dimitri said, looking down at the horrified Amahani.

"But…"

"Return to your station!"

The weapons expert took a deep breath, and then turned back to face his interface panel.

Roku looked through the view window. The galactic core was before them. The Tharian never thought that he would actually see it again. It was a gigantic swirling mass of energy, all being pulled inwards towards the invisible and infinitely dense center, inside of which was the temporal prison Stekvan had created.

"Take us in…" Dimitri stated.

The pilots pushed the vessel forwards, and the energy of the core grew as the approached the singularity at the center. The spacecraft was vibrating slightly, the resonation of the kronon particles arcing out of the core resonating with the particles in the ships shield. This only grew in intensity as they drew closer.

"For years our race has sought the meaning that the Grox have tried to suppress… Even those who were smart enough to reach here may not have seen the full story. But now… I, Captain Dimitri of the Amahani empire will strive to create a new meaning for all those who live after me!"

"Sir, we're 10 seconds from entering the singularity. Are you sure about this?"

"Positive."

"The readings say our vessel will be torn apart. Even with the wormhole key, the energy readings from the galactic center are phenomenal. How are we…"

"At the very least, I will not back out."

"5 seconds!"

The light from the core was so bright that they could see nothing but the swirling energy of the center of the Aeron Galaxy. This was the thing that held all of the other stars in orbit.

"3 seconds!"

The metal beneath their feet was shaking like a level 10 terraquake. It was amazing that the entire ship wasn't torn in half.

"2 seconds!"

The light was blinding.

"1 second!"

Dimitri's eyes were wide in anticipation.

"Impact!"

There was an explosion of light.

The whole world disappeared in a whirl of incomprehensible colors.

Without warning, they were violently thrown into the wormhole. The energy was swirling and twisting in exotic ways that boggled the mind. The ship was blazing through the tunnel, twisting and turning, being tossed back and forth as they passed deeper into the core's singularity.

As Roku knew it would, a voice began to boom through the void. It was low, deep, and powerful sounding.

_**Greetings my friend! You have traveled very far and overcome many obstacles. Along the way you have encountered many of your diverse, far-flung siblings-precious few of them will make it this far. Your heroic efforts have proven you deserving, worthy of advancement to the next level of your existence. The universe you inhabit is but one of manycountless worlds, unseen but yet connected. Your creative efforts have not gone unnoticed. Indeed they have spilled into these other, unseen worlds just as your world has been enriched by them. It is now time for you to join us - Join us! Mwahahahaha! No, just kidding. It's not scary. Indeed. The times ahead, they are good. Really, really good. Some of you may ask, who is this mysterious voice who knows so much and possesses such great powers? I'm glad you asked...**_

The wormhole disappeared.

The space they were in was undescribable. Swirls of strange energy shifted in the distance. The wormhole they had exited remained hovering ominously behind the ship. They continued to drift through dark area.

_"I'm guessing this is the Temporal Prison that you created?" _Roku asked.

_"Indeed it is."_

There was a few more moments of silence… until suddenly…

_**I'm Steve!**_

_**You are now to be given the , that's right, THE POWER…**_

_"Exactly as I predicted... Agriath screwed with my vocal relay. Spode I sound ridiculous," _Stekvan stated, cringing at the sound of his own voice.

_"Now its my turn to tell you to shush!" _Roku snapped back.

…_**The power to create and spread life, intelligence and understanding throughout the cosmos…**_

Dimitri stepped forward, getting off of his captains chair. He moved all the way forward towards the front of his ship. He stared right out of the view window. He shouted, "Who are you?"

**..**_**.Use this power so that we may one day become AS ONE...**_

"Exactly as Roku told me…" Dimitri muttered, "This isn't real. If he's giving exactly the same speech… then this is either a big set-up… or this speech is a recording…. Bernath!"

"Yes?"

"Send a transmission to the vessel. Tell this 'Steve' that we demand he explain who he is and what his purpose is here."

"Doing it now…"

…_**We are nearly sold out on the last phase of a wonderful time-share opportunity on one of our larger stars…**_

"The ship is non-responsive sir. I don't get a reply for anything I send him."

"Then send him this message, clear and simple: Move or die."

Bernath looked worried, but he complied anyway. After a few button presses, he said, "It's sent."

The Amahani turned to face the elusive form of 'Steve,' who continued on with his speech, making no acknowledgement of their message.

**…**_**a free breakfast and short presentation. Just look for the third rock from Sol.**_

"What now?" asked one of the weapons managers.

"Hold on, Captain…" Bernath spoke up, "I'm receiving something in the cargo bay… it's coming from Steve. Its ID registers as the name 'Staff of Life.'"

"I knew it!" Dimitri exclaimed, "Roku was right! But this can't be all that there is… it just can't be…" The Amahani captain ran over to Bernath's panel, looking at the new item. "It's exactly like Roku described it… no… we're not going to leave now…"

"Um… Captain…" the weapons manager, Corvek, spoke up, "A form of energy is coming from Steve. It's pushing our ship back into the wormhole."

"NO! I will not let this happen!"

"Don't you think we've seen enough?"

"Under my command, Corvek, fire upon Steve!"

Corvek looked shocked. "How can you know…"

"Ugh… always have to do everything myself…" Dimitri exclaimed, rushing forward and pushing Corvek out of his seat. The Amahani pulled back on a large lever, causing one of the main energy cannons to fire.

The future Roku watched as the energy beam collided with the form of Stekvan's ship. It impacted the hull, causing a fair amount of damage to the Jaxxod vessel. The advanced metal held it together, but the position of the ship was severely changed. Stekvan's ship was knocked sideways, spiraling outwards through the temporal void.

_"And you were still in stasis at the time… weren't you?" _Roku asked.

_"I was… for I had never expected that anyone would do something like this." _Dimitri smiled, getting out of Corvek's seat and moving back towards the window.

"Time to learn the truth…" Dimitri stated, moving his hand towards his chest. He pressed down on the button that activated his personal shield. The light blurred around him for a moment as it powered on. "Teleport me to the front hull."

"What?" Bernath responded.

"I said… Teleport me to the front hull!" the captain responded, pointing at the stretch of ship in front of the command window. The Amahani vessel was designed with the command deck not at the very front of the ship. Essentially, Dimitri was requesting to be placed on the ship's roof, something that Bernath was having a rather difficult time understanding.

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Bernath swiftly tapped a few buttons, causing Dimitri to disappear in a flash of kronon energy. The ghost forms of Stekvan and Roku moved, traveling through the front window and out into the temporal void. They saw that Dimitri was now standing at the very front of the vessel, his arms outstretched, and his personal shield shimmering in the vacuum.

Roku now got a good look at the Amahani vessel. It was a medium sized flagship with the basic shape of a dragonfly. It was mostly gray, with some parts outlined in black and dark blue.

Dimitri was staring outwards into the abyss. His eyes showed his clear determination to learn the truth.

"Whatever lies beyond Steve… _SHOW YOURSELF!"_

Dimitri stood there, waiting with a look of extreme expectancy.

**What is this….**

The voice of Agriath was booming down at the mortal.

"I knew there was something! A great power! A great meaning! This is the truth, is it not? Tell me, who are you?"

**I have had so many names. I have existed since the dawn **_**of**_** existence. I know you… I know your hates, your grudges, your loves, and your sins. I, young captain, am the god that will come.**

Dimitri remained on the outside hull of the ship, his face showing gratitude.

"Then it's true… The Shamans were correct… one day a great god will come, and bring salvation to all the inhabitants of Aeron…" Dimitri responded, talking up to the form of which he could not see, "I'm sorry but… where are you?"

**My physical form was stripped from me. My strength is gone. I cannot even hope to survive outside of this temporal prison.**

"I am truly sorry… how did you end up here?"

**Many years ago, the fowl Stekvan forced my energies into the core. He chained my power inside of here. The Grox seek to keep my everlasting truth from reaching the rest of the universe.**

"I knew it… Roku is a fool, and so are all of the other captains who came here…. It's all lies!"

**Yes. The world is full of lies.**

"What do you want me to do?"

**Stay still.**

"O… Okay."

**Open your mind to me… you are a powerful captain. Make the right choice. Choose me. Choose the darkness. Choose hate. Remember, and always remember, that love develops trust, but fear guarantees respect. Remember, Dimitri, that if you help me, we can burn a path across the stars. We can stop the light from ever shining!**

Dimitri was shaking now. He looked, at first, as though he didn't want to accept this, but as Agriath continued talking, the more he seemed to trust the dark consciousness.

"Yes…"

**Open your mind to me!**

"Of course, great Agriath!"

Dimitri let out a cry of pain. The Amahani captain collapsed to the metal below him. He was shrieking in utter agony. He was writhing on the top of the ship. Dimitri was screaming at a level of excruciation that made Roku cringe. The form of the Amahani continued to convulse, shaking violently, almost as if he was having a seizure.

Dimitri's skin was darkening. Some exterior energy was forcing its way into his body, changing his very appearance. The dark areas began around his eyes, and continued out to encompass his entire body. He was no longer purely an Amahani… he was something else…

"What are you… _GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"_

**Dimitri… foolish Amahani… you made the choice…**

The captain stopped shaking. His body went limp, and he lay on the Amahani metal, unconscious.

10 seconds passed.

Dimitri's eyes snapped open, but they were now pitch black. The captain slowly got to his feet, beginning to examine his hands and appendages, as if he was unfamiliar with them.

"Finally..." Dimitri said, "It may be a feeble mortal host… but it will guarantee my escape."

_"No…"_ Roku said, looking at Dimitri, _"He… it's…."_

_"Agriath, yes."_

Dimitri began to laugh, emitting the cold and deathly laugh that Roku had come to hate. Streams of archon energy began to swirl around the form of the captain. It was coming _from _Dimitri himself. His form was creating an aura of darkness, a cloud of everlasting hate.

"Now for some fun…"

Dimitri turned around, facing the vessels main view window. They could look back through and see where they had been before – the command deck, with the other cadets looking out at the scene with rapt interest. They had no idea what was happening to their captain.

The darkened Amahani took long strides forward, moving intently towards the window. He was a good 15 feet away, when the cadets inside the command deck began to back away from their posts, unsure of the situation. Dimitri was right in front of the hardened glass, when he did something unthinkable. He stepped _through_ the glass, his body shimmering into a dark cloud as he did so.

The ghost forms of Stekvan and Roku moved forward as well, performing a similar act to view the scene from the inside of the ship.

"What… how…" Corvek stuttered.

"Pathetic Amahani," Dimitri said, looking around at his former crew, "You are all weak, undeserving of anything beyond destruction."

"Captain…" Bernath said, moving forward, "Please tell me… what has happened to you?"

"It is not your right to question my power!"

"No… Dimitri. I'm worried about you… we all are. What have you done?"

"The real question is… what are you going to do?"

Dimitri stood there, his dark eyes looking forward into Bernath's.

"I'm sorry… I don't understand."

Dimitri smiled. "In a way that you feeble, foolish, pile of mindless cells that you are could possibly understand: Prepare to die!"

The Amahani captain raised his hand, pointing his open palm at the form of Bernath. A cloud of archon energy surrounded the cadet. He screamed in pain. The energy consumed his body, causing all of Bernath to be vaporized within seconds. He was gone.

The rest of the cadets were horrified, backing away even farther from Dimitri.

"There is no point in running! Soon, the whole of the multiverse will bow before my shadows!"

Dimitri put both of his arms out to either side of him. A cloud of archon began to from around the command deck's main window behind him. It was gliding over its surface, slowly weakening it. Before Roku knew it, a large and definite crack appeared on the surface of the windows.

_"But… that's Amahani space-age glass… that CAN'T break!"_ Roku said to Stekvan.

_"Think again."_

Some of the other cadets looked scared to death.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Dimitri responded in a dark tone. The Amahani captain then pointed at the one of the control panels. The archon surrounded it, and, within moments, it was ripped apart, a large amount of sparks marking its destruction.

The automated computer chimed from above, _"Warning: Emergency shields down. Amahani vessel incapable of containing hull breaches."_

"No… no… no!" Corvek shouted, running back towards the panel. There was no hope of recovering it.

The cracks in the window were clearly visible. The entire thing was like a gigantic spider's web of rifts in the thick glass. There were seconds left…

"You can't do this!" Corvek shouted.

"I am your god. You do what_ I _tell you."

The glass shattered, with shards of it being sucked instantly out into the vacuum. Some dark force was holding Dimitri to the floor, but the same could _not_ be said for the rest of the cadets.

They were immediately pulled out into the void of the temporal prison. There was no oxygen. No way to survive. They lived for 3 more seconds, and then the extreme cold of space collapsed in on them.

The entire flight crew was dead.

Dimitri took long strides forward, coming to a halt in front of the interface panel he had destroyed. He raised his hand, and the same archon energy that had destroyed the device, began to repair it. Pieces and wires flew back into place, light came back on, and levers slotted into position. The computer chimed, _"Emergency Shield reactivated… sealing command deck breach…"_

A think translucent shield descended over the opening that Dimitri had created, making the ship intact once again.

"Flight Navigation system," Dimitri exclaimed, "Set a new course."

_"Where?" _the automated voice responded.

"The homeworld of the Grox… Xorgo."

_"Sir… no coordinates exist for a Grox homeworld…"_

"4721ÄAE-1. Now Go!"

The Amahani vessel rumbled to life, slowly turning around. Roku and Stekvan floated out of the ship, making them capable of observing the spacecraft from afar. It was now facing the core's exit, its rear engines blasting to life. Their power propelled ship back towards the wormhole, where Agriath, who had been imprisoned for nearly 300 billion years, would finally gain his freedom.

But as Roku looked at the ship, he noticed something else. Something was clinging to the side of the ship. One more second of looking, and he recognized the vessel. It was Stekvan's ship, hanging onto the metal hull of the Amahani craft as it exited the temporal prison. Part of it was still damaged, but it appeared to be holding together well.

_"This is how you got out of the core?"_

_"Yeah… I no longer even had a reason to stay. Trust me, a laser hitting your ship is enough to wake anyone up from a stasis. I took this opportunity to leave the core. The moment I exited, I flew away, far off towards somewhere to hide. I eventually found Marksul. Even I could not stand up against an attempt to reach the Grox homeworld."_

Roku watched as the Amahani craft passed into the wormhole. Its form stretched, glowed, and then vanished into the rift.

_"Even if this all fits together... how in the name of sanity did Dimitri gain control of the entire Grox armada?"_

Stekvan smiled.

_"Before I answer that… I need to answer the other question you were asking."_

_"And that would be?"_

_"How Dimitri, a graduate captain, managed to breaking through to the center of the galaxy."_

_"Yeah…"_

_"Allow me to explain. In order to do so, I'll need to backtrack in time."_

**FLASH.**

They were in a field. A breeze was flowing past them, causing the dew-covered grass around them to sway ever-so-peacefully in the wind. It was surreal. The atmosphere was thin enough that stars continued to twinkle in the daytime, and that the clouds could swirl into brilliant shades hues usually impossible to achieve. What made the view even more stunning, was that this star system appeared to be passing_through_ a nebulae. Some sort of high-end technology must have been keeping the system intact, but it was stunningly worth it. Beyond the sunlight was a twisting complex of colors and gradients, blurred into what was almost like a gigantic abstract painting.

There was an average sized yellow star rising in the distance. It looked to be about mid-morning on this planet. The dim light cast long shadows across the horizon. The wind was refreshing – quite different from floating in the vacuum of space.

They were standing on a paved road that extended towards a series of mountains in the blurred distance. Above them, hover-vehicles would whizz by, emitting a slow and calming hum as they moved from place to place. It was a calm planet, wherever they were. Peaceful and beautiful.

_"What is this place?" _Roku asked.

_"Pangeara, a little over 30,000 years ago_," Stekvan responded, almost as if it was commonplace_, "This is where the disaster began to unfold."_

_"I've heard of this place… this is… this is the home world of the Artlen Empire isn't it?"_

_"It is."_

_"And what does it have to do with Agriath?"_

_"Let me give you an example Roku… when you pour water down a drain, does all of the water make it down?"_

_"No… well most if it. Some little drops will stay clinging to the sink."_

_"Exactly… and that is what happened with Agriath."_

_"In what way?"_

_"When I sealed him inside the core, a TINY potion of him managed to escape that fate. A small, simple, portion of his consciousness was not imprisoned. It could not physically affect anything, it could only exist as energy… untouchable, indestructible, but physically harmless energy."_

_"Physically…?"_

_"Now you're catching on. That piece of Agriath could manipulate emotions… affect opinions. That piece of Agriath came to this planet many years before life even began to emerge. It based itself here, manifesting in the sin and dark desires of the emerging life. You know about the genetic schism of the Artlens, do you not?"_

_"I do… I know how the different sub-species of Artlen have caused great hate amongst the empire. As of today… most of the older variations have died out…"_

_"Yes, my point exactly. That piece of Agriath created that schism. The more hate there was, the more death there was… the more discontempt the species had for itself, the more archon energy there was… and the stronger that piece of Agriath became. When this planet was midway through its 'tribal stage,' the native creatures developed a religion. They had a dark deity that they feared. They called it 'Narahgeenah' or 'the God of Darkness and all sinful.' They believed this deity was the reason there was hate in their world. This thinking existed all the way through to the 'space stage.' They feared Narahgeenah… and unbeknownst to all of them… it was real. Their dark deity was truly Agriath, manipulating their emotions, influencing their destiny."_

_"And… what does this mean?"_

_"Look around."_

Roku examined their surroundings once again.

Off to the side, was a medium sized house. It seemed to be a cross between a primitive hut, and a space-age house. It was made of mostly wood, with some portions supported by metallic posts. The house, along with Stekvan and Roku, was near the edge of the field, where the large forested area began. The house was far enough away from this barrier that few trees surrounded, but at the same time, few other_houses_ surrounded it as well.

_"What is this?"_

_"The Artlen city Ferndanth is 10 miles north of here. This is one of the preserved rural areas of the planet. This house was built away from the clutter of the city."_

_"But what does this have to do with anything?"_

At that moment, the door to the house opened. An Artlen stepped out.

She appeared to be in her young adult years. The Artlen was of the genetic variation 'grounded.' Her fur was a gradient of different shades of red, along with her feather skirt. Roku recognized her immediately.

_"That's Veara! That scum Grox-Artlen! But… this is 30,000 years before I met her… and she's... how in the name of sanity is she alive right now?"_

Roku remembered his encounter with Veara well. He had been on a mission to acquire an incredivly powerful and slightly unstable mineral known as Regimight from the planet Korona. Sucess could have strengthened the New Tharian army considerably.

But then… that Artlen appeared. She wasn't a Grox. Just like the Grand Master being an Amahani, it made no sense. But she was there, just as devilishly adamant as any other Grox warrior, and she fought Roku with an undying passion. He wasn't as experienced of a captain back then, but he fought her off. The foul Artlen killed one of his cadets… without any mercy. This was a soul that was evil to the core, without any remorse… any sign of goodness. It was impossible for the Tharian to look at the Artlen in front of him… and see her as innocent.

Veara took a few steps forward. She looked younger than when Roku would later meet her. She took a few steps down the wooden stairs on her porch. Veara stepped onto the grassy field, looking over the slowly rolling plains, and admiring the view on the horizon.

It truly was an amazing day on this planet.

That's when it happened.

Veara grabbed her shoulder in sudden shock. Something was wrong. She was shaking in fear, screaming in pain. Veara's body was convulsing, in a manor very similar to what would later happen to Dimitri.

Veara grabbed her head, clasping her hands around it so hard that her claws pierced her skin, making her bleed. She was scared beyond belief.

"W-What… is this… pain?" Veara exclaimed. There was a brief expansion of visible archon energy around her, before she collapsed to the grassy ground beneath her. She was unconscious.

Another grounded Artlen had been sitting on his porch in a nearby house. He came rushing down the steps, using his legs to propel him towards the limp form of Veara.

"Oh my…" the Artlen said, examining what had happened. She appeared to be in perfect health… simply unconscious. That was for a moment, of course, for the Artlen came across something rather peculiar. It was a mark on Veara's shoulder… something that had definitely not been there before.

It was pitch black, like a night sky completely devoid of stars, and in the vague shape of a dragon. It was where the consciousness had forced it's way inward… creating a scar that would last for the rest of Veara's life.

_"What just happened?" _Roku asked.

_"Narahgeenah had been waiting… waiting for countless years gaining power and preparing for the perfect time to strike. He wanted to release the rest of himself, the essence of Agriath contained and loosing power within the Galactic Core, but he could not do it alone. He waited until the Artlen empire was strong enough to accomplish reaching the core… and then he struck. He picked what he believed was the Artlen with the most potential, which in this case, is Veara. The piece of Agriath's consciousness was funneled into Veara's mind. It does not completely consume her thoughts, as Agriath does to Dimitri, but it does have great influence on her decisions. She becomes a space captain, she leads the Artlen research into reaching the galactic core, and then she commands the vessel that nearly succeeds at that task… all thanks to Narahgeenah."_

_"And… the… Stekvan, you do understand that right now, in the time that we're in now, is the time of the Old Tharian Empire. This is 30,000 years ago… this is before Marks did anything with earth. How could Veara have lived until now?"_

_"Think about it Roku. What did she do next?"_

_"She attempts to reach the core… but she fails, doesn't she?"_

_"Yes… Narahgeenah could not guarantee success…"_

**FLASH.**

They were standing on a rocky and charred ground. The surface was cracked and dead looking. Off in the distance were erupting volcanoes and continuous lava-flows. There was no doubt… this planet was terra-score zero.

_"Where are we now?"_

_"Xorgo... my hopelessly long lost home world."_

Roku did a double take whilst observing the terrain around him. No aspect of the planet resembled the once shining heart of the Jaxxod Empire. This planet's collapse was a dark testament to the insatiable ruthlessness of the Grox.

_"What... what happened here?"_

Stekvan sighed and closed his eyes.

_"__The Grox, after fully committing to a life of Archon... recklessly built up energy within this world's core, believing that it would strengthen them… until it caused a gigantic inwards destruction cycle. The heat of the core increased exponentially until it ripped all of this planet's tectonic plates apart. All that remains of Xorgo is a fiery mantle… with the remaining tectonic plates held in orbit by an artificial gravity well. This was only a minor setback for the empire, however. They quickly reconstructed any damage and ensured that all of the tectonics plates would stay in perpetual geostationary orbit. Almost all of the Xorgo is now re-inhabited, and it remains the not-so-shining heart of the Groxian Armada, and is the location of the Grox's Mass Connectivity Matrix. Archon energy continues to bleed from the core of Xorgo, phasing out through the large cracks between in the plates through truly massive cascading tendrils of archon that occasionally arc back into the planet like solar flares. From space... its quite a sight to behold."_

Roku turned back to look around, amazed at what he had learned. He must have been currently standing on one of the larger chunks, as the visible land extended all the way out until the horizon

Something caught his eye. It was not far away… and in horrible shape.

It was a space ship, about the size of Roku's Tharak, crashed into the ground. It's engines had been disintegrated on impact, and the majority of its hull was ripped open and burnt. No empire logo or specific shape could be made out in the tangle of melted metal. It was nearly impossible to imagine anything inside of it surviving.

But then again… the universe works in strange ways sometimes.

As Roku was running towards the wreckage, he froze.

Some of the metal was shifting. The form of a creature was pushing its way out of the torn up vessel. Something had survived.

The Tharian couldn't believe what he saw.

It was Veara. The Artlen had unsurpassable determination… she was climbing out of the wreckage of a crashed ship. After quite a few cries of anguish, the Artlen captain forced her way out of the wreckage. She was also in horrible shape. Veara was covered in bruises, cuts, and at least three broken bones.

"This… this isn't possible…" Veara said, collapsing to the ground, "What did I do wrong?"

The weak Artlen took one final breath as she passed out on the ground once again.

Roku was surprised by the sudden appearance of three Dronox soldiers. They had teleported to this location, and were holding pointing their powerful pulse blaster at the limp Veara. They noticed this after a moment and moved towards her body. One of them lifted her up, holding the Artlen in its arms.

_"Why… don't they just… kill her?" _Roku asked, intrigued.

_"They sense something they cannot describe… the force of Agriath within her. The same archon that courses through them… radiates from Veara. They keep her…"_

_"But… the Grox are trying to keep Agriath within they core, right? You said so yourself. If they hate Agriath so much… then why do they use archon power so much?"_

_"The rest of the galaxy's inhabitants hate sin and evil… and yet, it seems as though they're everyday occurrences."_

Roku was silent.

_"These Dronox take her back to be changed. The Grox army sees the potential in her that they cannot describe… the force of great archon that powers their forces. They know she will be of great help to them. They wipe most of her mind… they brainwash her. They equip her with cybernetics and up-link her consciousness to the Grox Matrix. That tiny piece of Agriath within her, that 'Narahgeenah', is nearly shut down, forced into a tiny corner of Veara's subconscious. It had failed at its mission, and now it sat in quiet anguish as it watched its host perform the opposite of what it wanted."_

_"Yeah… cause now Veara would be protecting the core."_

_"Indeed."_

_"But what are the chances she would crash land on Xorgo in the first place?"_

_"Not that bad. If you're that close to the core, there aren't that many star systems near the core with planets. It wasn't impossible… and… well… Narahgeenah might have had some influence."_

_"What does she do now?"_

_"She becomes a revered Grox commander… second in command to just about… everything. As the Grox do to most of their emperors, they give Veara an incredibly enhanced lifespan, one that they can replenish whenever they see fit. They want to keep their commander for as long as they can, so that they can continue to protect the core under her rule."_

_"What next?"_

_"Let me give you brief view of her life…"_

**FLASH.**

They could see Veara running forwards in the command deck of a ship, moving towards the captain chair.

"Under my command, deploy all drop ships… activate the ground troops! The Eyenroh will fall today!"

Veara now had the typical Grox cybernetic implants on the arm and right eye, although her legs remained intact. Her face was full of malice and pure fury. She was much more like the Veara that Roku knew.

**FLASH.**

Veara was talking to another Grox across the table. Roku recognized him immediately as Civet, who was staring at Veara with a look of happiness.

"Thank you for agreeing to this…" Civet said.

"Yes… today is the day we secede from the Grox… like Krik and Pyw did… so shall we."

**FLASH.**

Veara was staring at a gigantic holo-screen, speaking to a group of Grox in a nearby ship. At the center of the screen was a female Grox, something Roku didn't normally see, who was speaking to Veara through the link.

"And who might you be?" Veara snapped.

"Amy… the empress of the current Groxian alliance…."

"Don't go any further! Civet's empire will _never _join your little gang. Our might is more than enough to crush your puny alliance… We are the true power of the glorious Grox!"

**FLASH.**

_"Narahgeenah must have been furious."_ Roku said

_"Yes… but that consciousness does get his revenge…"_

**FLASH.**

They were now standing in what looked like a control room. There was a semi-circle shaped interface panel covered in holographic touch-screens and a multitude of small switches and dials. Above the panel was a large window that granted sight of a gigantic, urbanized, and incredibly foreboding Grox city with dark metal spires stretching into the smog filled skies.

_"And now we are…"_

_"Back on Xorgo, within one of the Central Command Modules."_

_"What's the galactic date now?"_

_"You'll see…"_

Veara came bursting into the room from the large doors behind them. She took her position in the chair at the center of the panel.

Roku heard a growl come from the Artlen, either out of anger or frustration. She looked quite upset. A message appeared on the computer screen, followed by the typical computerized voice relaying it to her.

"WARNING: Amahani vessel passing dangerously close to core. Scans register ship of Captain Dimitri of the Amahani passing within 100 parsecs of galactic center. Groxian military requesting attack level percentage… pending…"

Veara smiled.

"Ha… lets see if that puny graduate Amahani can take 100% of our forces… his ship will burst into flames faster than he can…"

Veara froze. Her eyes were wide. She began to sweat. Something had snapped in her mind. A look of terror was on her face, as it had been 30,000 years ago. Her clawed hands were shaking, trembling over the dial that controlled the Grox attack percentage.

_"Narahgeenah may not have been able to get Veara to the core… but it knew that this was the captain foolish enough to release the rest of Agriath…it knew that Dimitri would do this on his own. Mustering all its strength, it forced its will over Veara," _Stekvan explained.

The computer repeated, "Groxian military awaiting request…"

Veara stopped shaking, and then touched the dial. She slid it all the way back to 20%.

The computer responded, "Are you sure? This percentage is dangerously low."

"I know what I'm doing…" Veara said, shadows under her eyes, "This is the day the Grox become more successful than they ever were…" Veara let out a shrill laugh that went on for a few seconds. When she stopped, she had a large smile on her face.

"Go ahead… Dimitri. The stratagem will advance…"

Silence.

_"That's how Dimitri reached the core!" _Roku realized, _"Veara made it easy on purpose!"_

_"Yes… and I have one final memory to show you, Roku."_

**FLASH.**

Veara was laying on a metallic floor, parts of her body drenched in blood. Her cybernetic implants were badly damaged, sparks coming out of some of them. She had just been in a battle, and lost horribly.

"No... you can't…" she tried to say.

Roku recognized the form of the other person in the room and gasped. It was Dimitri.

"Oh… but I can…" Dimitri responded, stepping slowly away.

They were on a thin but long bridge. It extended halfway across a gigantic cylindrical chasm, at least a hundred feet in diameter. The walls were composed of dark unbreakable Grox metal, with very few installed lights. Looking both up and down, the room appeared extend forever. At the end of the bridge, and at the exact center of the metallic chasm was a massive pulsating sphere of energy. It seemed to be about 30 feet in size, but it would sometimes expand and contract in proportion. It was yellow in color, and had a large amount of holographic numbers and values circling it. The sphere was emitting a dull light, but appeared to be an energy core of some kind. Coming from the polar top and bottom of the sphere was a single beam of light that extended in either direction into the seemingly infinite haze. Occasionally, a blast of light would pulsate out of the sphere and fly in either direction along the beams. It was truly stunning to look at.

"But… Dimitri…" Veara tried to say.

"That is not my name."

The Artlen clutched her lower torso, which appeared to be badly cut, and said, "Then... who are you?"

Dimitri turned away from Veara, facing the energy core.

"I have existed forever, at least in the sense that you know. I am the truth that always was, and always will be. I am the reason you and the rest of the Grox have stood watch over the core for so tremendously long... but I stand here now… ready to carry out the stratagem."

"But how… how did you even get past all of our defenses? Your own ship, without a crew in any way… how did you treat the entire Xorgo defensive armada like it was nothing?"

"Unbreakable archon shields generated by the ultimate source of archon tend to be rather resilient."

"What?"

"It wasn't the Amahani ship you were attacking… it was my dark power. And your ground forces were just… pathetic. It took me only a few minutes to get down here… and as I'm sure you know, that is _not_ a good thing."

"Dimitri! Stop… what are you even going to do?"

"This is the central matrix of the Grox cybernetics, is it not? This is the ultimate core of the entire Grox internet – the gigantic network that links every Grox in the empire. All communication travels through here… every last bit of it. Through here, I can access the mind of every Grox in the empire."

Dimitri began to move towards the matrix core.

"Stop!" Veara shouted, "You can't do this!"

"Funny that you would say that…" Dimitri said, turning around for a second, "Child of Narahgeenah."

"What?"

Dimitri smiled, and then stepped forward into the matrix. The energy expanded in reaction, glowing and spinning. An alarm sounded, reverberating noisily in the background.

"WARNING: Foreign data points in Grox Matrix. Collapse of system in near future…"

"No… how are you…?"

The core was changing color. The archon inside of Dimitri was expanding outward and encompassing the matrix. The yellowish color was darkening, reverting to the pitch black color of Dimitri's skin. The Amahani's eyes were now glowing red with the power he was gaining.

"I can see it, Veara… the mind of every last Grox in the empire… _mine_ for the taking."

The core was growing even darker, the archon energy expanding to an unsurpassable amount.

Dimitri laughed, causing more archon to swirl around his body. Bolts of electricity were now arcing out of the core and into the wall around them. A vortex of wind was swirling around the core. It was increasing to the pace of a storm. The elements were bending around the severe amount of energy collapsing in towards the Amahani.

His voice now contained a dark echo.

"I am the eternal truth. I am the void. I have existed since before all of you. I have been imprisoned for 300 billion years in the galactic center, and now I am free. I have accessed your matrix core, and have the ability to call into all of your minds. I now seek audience… with every Grox in the Aeron galaxy!"

Veara was now cowering on the ground in pain. Dimitri's voice was reverberating in her mind, as it was in every other Grox.

"STOP!" Veara shouted.

"Not now… _NOT EVER!" _Dimitri shouted, "I will never back down. The time of playing nice has ended. I tell you right now, this is what will happen: Grox, I am now your god. I cast a piece of my consciousness into all of you, forcing you to see my eternal truth. You will worship me with unstoppable determination. I am the god of all Grox! I am your alpha and omega! I will rule you to the end of time! We will regain the Tesseract, we will crush the rest of the galaxy's inhabitants, we will travel to Tetradon, and in the end… we will tear the rift apart, destroying all of reality and reverting back to the eternal void! This is the future. This is the truth. From now on, all the Grox in Aeron shall refer to me as the your one and only _GRAND MASTER!_"


	26. From the Ashes

_And... the next chapter! This is another long one, so I'm sure your happy about that. The next chapter shouln't take to long at all (even though that's what I always say), so look forward __to reading that._

_Also, VeeVeeNightingGale did another awesome drawing, this time it is an epic movie poster style picture of all of the main characters. You can check it out by following the link on my profile._

_And... enjoy that chapter! This is the last one in the Marksul arc. For those action-junkies out there, then you'll really love this chapter!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**26:** FROM THE ASHES

Arcadia woke with a start, staring around at his surroundings. The light was incredibly dim, rendering it hard to make out anything. While his sight may have been hindered, his other senses were firing off signals. His four arms were bound on either side of him, as were his legs. He was strapped to some sort of cold wall. He was upright but a slight angle backwards.

Arcadia had no idea what was going on. He didn't know whether he wanted to be scared or confused… perhaps both. In the dark, he called out, "I have no patience for this! Whoever it is that put me here, show yourself!"

There was a low toned laugh.

"Why do you care?"

"I am Captain Arcadia of the Chimera Empire…"

"The _dead _Chimera Empire."

"My empire has plenty of colonies!"

"Doesn't matter, your homeworld is gone. The Chimera will be in disarray for at least the next 10 years… and the alliance of all those pitiful empires… will collapse after the loss of its government."

"How do you… who are you?"

A light was turned on. A single bulb above both of the creatures lit up, illuminating a small radius, within which the Chimera could now see who he was talking to.

It was Commander Talor.

"You… What?"

Talor began laughing, taking steps towards the captain. He was now only a few feet away.

"You think I'm Talor? That foolish Starlen. He was never fit for command. Do you know what he did? He screamed for his mother as he died. So pitiful… I watched as his body was ripped to shreds."

"What in the…"

"We have survived past the destruction of our creator. We are now more powerful than ever. We have adapted. We have changed. We are the strongest portion of the Grox armada. We will be the mightiest soldiers ever!"

"For the last time, tell me!"

"We are the Deltas. We have changed…"

The form of Talor began to transform. The bones popped out of place, the flesh melted away, the limbs disappeared into a mass of fur and feathers, and everything that was the Starlen became… something else.

What was left in its place was the strangest creature Arcadia had ever seen. It was the basic shape of a stingray, and had two piercing red and slit eyes. Glowing tribal marking covered the span of the 'wings' that extended from the two sides of the body. Its mouth was like a worm's, but divided into four sections, altogether capable of creating a terrifying mass of rotating teeth. Its tail ended in a small portion that fanned out.

The strangest thing about the creature was the fact that it was hovering. There was nothing feasible holding it up… it simply defied gravity and hovered above the surface of wherever they were.

"How do you?..."

"Hover? We have a Kronon core within us," the Delta responded, its horrendous mouth flapping back and fourth, "It radiates energy outwards, maintaining our perpetual control of gravity's effect on us. It was much more basic before… but the Grox have made many improvements to it. Instead of simply absorbing abilities, the Delta Swarm can now absorb the form of another creature. _We_ can become_ anything _we draw blood from!"

"What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Your form has already been duplicated… as has Talor's. We disposed of that pest a while ago. We need him no more. We have been infiltrating the Starlen Base this entire time… we have been waiting on this planet. You are here now, and it is our duty to the Grand Master… to destroy every last one of you!"

"That's great… but I guess my real question is… why am I still alive?"

"It is more fun now… for now I can feast upon you while you squirm…"

The Delta was laughing again, while a look of contentment appeared on Arcadia's.

"Why aren't you scared?" the Delta exclaimed.

"Gire… he was one of my best friends… he designed a little device. Its sort of small, straps onto your back. It was for situations in which I found myself restrained and at the mercy of the enemy. And come to think of it… it could help me _now _as well."

There was the sound of a force field popping into existence as a shockwave exploded outwards behind the chimera. It disintegrated all of the restraints, dissolving the metal instantly.

The captain dropped to the floor, stepping towards the Delta.

"What do you plan on doing? You still have no idea where you are. You're trapped here with me!"

"Is that so?"

Arcadia pressed a button on his belt. A powerful hardened Chimera shield appeared around the captain. It was constantly visible and pulsating with power.

The captain then pulled out a small circular device from his belt. He clicked a small button on it, causing it to light up and begin to hum.

"What is that?"

"Miniature anti-matter bomb."

Arcadia held his arm out, and dropped it.

* * *

Maruck looked up at the tank, in a state of disbelief beyond expression.

"What are we going to do?" Maruck asked, with a hint of fear.

"We need to warn everyone," Arcadia stated, just moments before he turned on the spot and took off running.

Maruck was confused… what was Arcadia doing?

The Chimera captain had just sprinted out of the opening they had created in the spire, and was now running at an exceptional pace across the plains of Marksul.

Left with few other options, Maruck took off as well, right in the wake of the other captain.

Maruck and Arcadia were sprinting across the dry and cracked surface of the dead planet. They darted past pools of lava and plains of ash.

"Where do you plan on going? Maruck exclaimed, just a little ways behind the other fast moving captain. Both Scorpnak and Chimera had the ability to run quite fast due to their powerful legs, but… Chimera tended to sprint just a _little_ bit faster. Maruck was having to exert a bit of energy to keep up.

"Back to the base. We need to warn everyone," Arcadia shouted back.

"But we still haven't worked something out. If the Deltas are here, then why haven't they attacked us yet?"

Arcadia stopped, causing Maruck to come to a quick skidding halt next to him.

Maruck spoke up again, "Still, couldn't we just radio the forces back at the base and tell them?"

Arcadia looked stumped for a second, and then said, "There would be no point. The Deltas are probably tracking us right now… we don't want them to know that we know of their existence."

"Arcadia… you're being ridiculous," Maruck said, frustrated now, "I already said clearly over the radio that we knew about the Deltas. There is no way that doing anything involving the radio will have _any _effect on our advantage against the Deltas. In fact, the Grox probably gave them abilities beyond what we saw before. You remember when the…"

Maruck went silent.

"Come on Maruck! Now isn't the time for stalling!"

"You… you never knew about the Deltas…"

"What?"

"We never explained it to you. You… you can't know any of the details… and yet, here you are, talking about the Deltas as if you're an expert on it…"

"There isn't enough time!"

"Arcadia, understand this: You are acting beyond what any respectable space captain would act like. Even if you are completely legitimate… then right now… you are being a horrible captain for the Chimera Empire. I cannot allow you to do so, and so now… I must learn the truth."

For the first time that Arcadia had seen, Maruck bent down, extending his scorpion tail to its fullest length. The Chimera had a stunned look on his face, unsure of what was happening. Arcadia observed that at the end of the Scorpnak's tail was a bulb-like appendage. It opened up, dividing into four sections like the pedals of a flower.

At the bulb's center was a single sharp… Arcadia assumed… _stinger._ He was shocked, having known nothing of this particular part of the Scorpnak's anatomy.

Maruck launched forward, swiftly jabbing the stinger into the Chimera's top right arm. Arcadia wailed in pain, jumping back and rubbing the spot with his other arms.

"What was that for?"

Maruck resumed his normal stance, the scorpion tail bulb closing behind him.

"Scorpnak venom… an evolutionary advantage rarely used now. It is incredibly potent, killing most creatures within a few hours. Chimera, and a few others, are known to be resilient to certain toxins."

"Very true…"

"It won't kill you… it will only act as a neurological poison. That's how the venom works in the first place. In essence… it will force your true thoughts to surface. You won't have control of how your mind renders thoughts into words."

"But… I…"

"I did this to know the truth… Chimera… or possibly… the creature of ultimate change…"

"No… I can't…"

Arcadia was now shaking on the ground, cowering on his knees.

"I need to know the truth!" Maruck stated.

"We… we…"

"Reveal your true species!"

"We are… awakening!"

Arcadia's voice was now shaky and eerie. It was getting deeper and raspier.

"Tell me who you are!"

"We are… the… DELTAS!"

Arcadia's form was now shifting. His bones were morphing, and his very flesh began to transform.

Moments later, where the chimera captain had once stood, was the hideous creation of Professor Wex. It stared at the Scorpnak with its piercing red eyes that showed only hunger.

"Tell me, Delta," Maruck said, almost in a normal manor, "Why did you not attack us the moment we arrived?"

The Delta, still seemingly affected by the poison, was shaking. It still maintained its ominous hovering motion.

"The Grox sent us here to wipe out the puny inhabitants of this world. My kind devoured the pathetic Amahani that once lived here… and any of them that survived… were wiped out completely…"

"How?"

"The Infestation Pod. The marvel of Grox technology. It cannot be destroyed… and it rooted itself within Marksul's core… it de-terraformed the planet… but the Grox didn't use this place as a colony. Why would they? They destroyed this planet just because they could… because our god willed it."

"And you guys just… stayed behind?"

"The Grox deserted us! They left us here to fend for ourselves! We were starving… forced to be able to survive by the wretched ability we had absorbed from the Grox… the ability to thrive on barren worlds."

"If that's the case, then _why _didn't you just attack us when we were arriving?"

"We wanted to learn about you. We wanted to discover which one of you we would kill quickly… and which ones would suffer… The Grox gave us a new and incredibly powerful ability. Our Kronon cores were amplified ten-fold… we are now the epitome of the 'creature of change.' Beyond just absorbing abilities, we can now absorb the form of any creatures we draw blood from. The _entire_ genetic code. We are a marvel of technology. The Grox admitted Wex's genius, and added a touch of their own power… and here we are. Not only can I copy the genes… but the mind patterns. I know exactly what Arcadia would say in any given situation… that's why you never guessed the truth…"

"How… how long have you been disguised like this?"

"Remember when Arcadia went off to investigate a nearby cave when you first arrived on this world?"

"Yeah, I remember he volunteered to go investigate it with Talor…"

"Since then."

Maruck was furious now.

"What have you done to Arcadia?"

"Nothing… yet."

Maruck swiped his arms forward, arcing a large amount of electricity into the Delta. It feel back a little bit, but predictably resumed its hovering stance, seemingly unscathed.

"You know you can't hurt me," the Delta stated, "All attempts to harm me are absorbed and added to my power… as I'm sure you know."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Exactly."

"You are wasting my time, prey!"

"You don't realize do you? I've had quite a bit of time to think about the Deltas since our first encounter with you. I realized the way to defeat you. There are only two ways: complete destruction by a beam of dark energy or an explosion of anti-matter, essentially instantaneous destruction, since there is no way you can absorb that… _or_, as I realized, something that, even after initially absorbed, still has an effect on you."

"Like what?"

"Scorpnak poison…"

It was now clear that the Delta was scared. It was hovering much closer to the ground. It was loosing its energy and becoming much weaker. The color of its skin was darkening from its previous orange and green state. The Delta was dying…

"No… I can't… die. You're the prey! You're the one I'm supposed to kill!"

"Your neurological systems are nearly destroyed by now… I'm assuming that at this point you're losing your ability to absorb attacks… which in that case… remember when I said that the blast from the plasma pulser didn't hurt me?"

"That petty pointless conversation that I had with you? How does that apply now?"

"I lied… it didn't hurt… me_."_

Maruck drew both of his arms back and thrust them forwards again. A large amount of shining blue electron power came zooming through the palms of Maruck's hands and into the Delta. It shook and screamed in agony. All the cells in its body were shriveling up and popping.

Maruck stopped, dropping his arms back. The Delta's skin was charred and black. Seconds later it fell to the ground, completely motionless.

It was dead.

Maruck stood there for a second, absorbing what had just happened. He took off running towards the Starlen Camp.

He knew he needed to spread the word about what was happening… they had led themselves right up into a trap, and it was going to be quite difficult to get out of.

He pulled out his radio as he was running.

* * *

"Maruck please respond," Aster said, speaking firmly into the communicator.

No response.

"Maruck and Arcadia, please respond," Aster said again. Both her and Chase were standing on a ruined pathway in the middle of the Amahani City. The faint wind was blowing ash around them.

"Why aren't they responding?" Aster said, looking at the device in frustration.

"Could the connection have been broken or something?"

"No, it definit…"

_"This is Maruck… I'm heading back to the Starlen Base. I require immediate rendezvous there. I repeat, everyone meet me at the main base."_

The Scorpnak captain sounded out of breath, his voice shaking as if he was running.

"May I ask why?" Aster responded.

_"Arcadia was a Delta… he tried to kill me."_

_ "What?" _said Commander Talor, breaking into the conversation, _"And what ARE the Deltas?"_

_ "They're an incredibly resilient warrior race created by Professor Wex, in an attempt to combat the Grox,"_ Maruck explained, _"They are capable of analyzing and incorporating the skills and abilities of anything that attacks them… hence their name. But now… they've been given a new ability. They seem to be capable of changing into the form of ANYTHING they've seen before… which makes them more deadly than ever…"_

"Let me get this straight…" Aster said, "ANY of the Starlens at the base could be disguised Deltas? How long has this been going on?"

_"Since we started exploring this planet… They've been watching and observing us this entire time…."_

"And wait…" Chase said, "What about Roku? We haven't seen him since he left to go look at those ruins…"

Aster immediately took action. "Captain Roku, this is Aster calling. Please respond."

After 20 seconds, there was no response.

"Do you think he could have been taken too?" Chase asked, slightly frightened.

"We'll just have to…"

BOOM!

A highly audible explosion resonated through the air. It was from somewhere relatively close to Chase and Aster, who wildly spun on the spot, looking for the source of the noise.

_"What was that?" _Maruck said, _"Sounded like an explosion."_

"It definitely was," Chase said, "We're the closest to it… so we'll investigate."

_"Agreed," _Maruck said, _"Remember, meet back at the base."_

"Copy," Aster stated.

Aster and Chase took off running down the Amahani road.

They were moving for at least 3 minutes, with Aster having to slow herself down, as her four legs gave her an incredible speed advantage over Chase.

They spotted two Starlen troops walking down the street intersection ahead. These must have been one of the patrols that Talor had sent out. They were wearing typical metallic Starlen armor, and appeared to be observing the ruins around them.

Chase and Aster came to a stop before them.

"Aster," one of them said, "May I ask what the problem seems to be right now?"

"A powerful alien threat has emerged. We're ordered to meet back at the base."

"Really?"

"Yes, we'd appreciate the added firepower. Would you mind accompanying us back?"

"Absolutely not."

Aster was shocked.

"What?"

"Why would we want to go back to the place that will inevitably be destroyed?"

Now she was just confused.

"Excuse me… destroyed?"

"Indeed. The Deltas have been invading that base from the beginning. In that time, they've planted a series of bombs in the separate ammunition storage areas. When they go off… the entire base will be consumed by flames…"

Chase stepped forward.

"Okay then… I'm just gonna take a wild stab in the dark but… Deltas?"

The Starlen smiled.

"Let the feast begin."

* * *

Maruck continued running across the plains, but came to a skidding stop.

What he saw terrified him.

There was a pillar of smoke rising from somewhere in the Starlen Base. He could see it in the distance.

What was happening?…

BOOM!

Another explosion, significantly larger than the last, emanated from the Starlen Base in the distance. Something large and powerful had exploded within the base's perimeter. The Scorpnak captain could see it now. Somewhere near the edge of the base, the ammunitions room had been destroyed. That held all of the Starlen's weaponry… extremely flammable. Only someone that worked in the base would know exactly where to target an attacked like that…. Who…

"The Deltas!" Maruck exclaimed, taking off even faster. He knew he only had a few seconds until…

Another explosion followed suit. Somewhere in the ammunitions room was an anti-matter bomb… and it had been set off. This was a planned attack. It was something that had been set up from the beginning. The base's wall was torn apart. All of the tents and buildings were incinerated. Maruck himself was knocked back as the massive shockwave blew across Marksul's surface.

As Maruck looked back up, he saw only a column of fire where the base once stood. It had been completely destroyed. It was impossible for there to be any survivors, the anti-matter bomb made sure of that.

The Scorpnak was horrified. He was in shock that the Deltas had planned this attack so thoroughly.

What had the Arcadia-Delta said? _We wanted to find out which of you we want to kill quickly… and which ones would suffer…_

It looked like phase one was over. And Maruck wasn't quite looking forward to the second part.

It didn't make sense though. There had been another explosion, one that had occurred in the opposite direction that Chase and Aster had just been dispatched to investigate. It had occurred a good 10 minutes before this one… what had caused that one? Maruck still didn't fully understand what was going on, but he knew one thing for sure. The crew was definitely not going to rendezvous at the base.

* * *

"What was that?" Chase asked. Another large explosion had just resonated in the distance, although this time it was much farther away.

"Your hope being destroyed," one of the Delta-Starlens said, "The base is gone."

Aster turned to face the general direction of the base, only to take a step back in fear. A pillar of smoke was rising in the distance, right where the base should have been.

"How… how… many Starlens did you kill?" Aster asked, trying to grasp what was happening.

"241," the Delta-Starlens responded, "We didn't need their flesh… We prefer to directly kill the ones who had caused the most inconvenience towards our god… the grand master."

"And so that means…" Chase said.

The Starlen troops smiled.

"Prepare to die!"

The two Delta-Starlens leapt forward, knocking the two captains back. Aster was off to the side struggling to throw off the solider above her, while Chase was fighting an almost hopeless battle against teeth and talons.

"Submit to your predator, human!" the Delta-Starlens said, its mouth inches above Chase's face. It seemed impossible for Chase's to overcome the power of the Delta. No ordinary human could do it…

Chase took a deep breath, and then used his tesseract ability to blow the Starlen off in an expansion of fire. As the Starlen began to dash forward to attack again, Chase quickly brought his arms into another attacking pose. Right before the Starlen hit him, a blast of plasma collided with its face, sending it writing onto the ground, its face burning.

"Take that!" Chase exclaimed, his voice filled with just a bit too much pride. He turned to face the Starlen that was holding Aster down, and immediately attacked it in the same way. It too was knocked off of its captor, moving around in pain on the ruined street.

"Thanks," Aster said, quickly getting to her feet, "This is just weird… what now?"

"We need to run… I only made them stronger…" Chase said, turning back to the Delta-Starlens. They were both were getting back up, but they were both smiling as well.

Aster took a step back in surprise as both of the Starlens burst into flames. Their form and flesh remained intact, but a layer of flames now surrounded their body. They had ignited themselves… but were perfectly fine.

"They've absorbed my ability…" Chase said, "Now we're in for some fun."

Both of the Delta-Starlens were taking slow steps forward, as if they were stalking their prey.

"What do we do?" Aster questioned.

"We run… but… there is no way I could beat them… even if I had those booster shoe thingies…"

"The Sprint Pack?"

"Yeah that thing."

"Well then… on the count of three, you're gonna jump on my back, I'm going to run as fast as a Starlen can run… and I'm going to activate my own sprint pack, go it?"

The Deltas were getting closer.

"What? On your back?"

"1…"

One of the Deltas was bearing its teeth.

"2…"

The other was snarling, only 5 feet away.

"3!"

Chase spun on the spot and leapt towards Aster. He was quickly able jump onto Aster's back and position himself so that he wouldn't fall off. Moments later, Aster took off in an incredible sprint, using her evolutionary advantage of four legs to propel herself forward faster than any human could. Technology had its fair share of help as well, as the sprint pack on Aster ankles were launching the Starlen forward even farther with each stride.

Chase would have commented that it was like riding a horse… but he felt that might be a bit degrading towards Aster. He kept his mouth shut as they flew down the Amahani street.

With not delay, the Delta-Starlens behind them took off as well. There was no doubt, they were capable of matching them in speed. Their teeth were bared as they pursued Chase and Aster. They had a hungry look in their eyes, and the flames continued to burn away around them. If Aster stopped running for even a second… Chase tried not to imagine the consequences.

"Where are we going?" Chase shouted at Aster.

"Away from here!" she responded, exasperated.

Aster continued to run as fast as she could, given no opportunity for rest. She turned a corner in the street, dashing down another abandoned Amahani road. Small clouds of ash were turned up with each step she took. There was no escape in sight. The Deltas were almost indestructible.

"We have to do something!" Chase shouted. He got an idea. The human repositioned himself so that his body faced the other way, towards the pursuing Delta-Starlens. He launched a beam of plasma, aiming it right at the ground in front of one of the Deltas. It caused a small explosion of fire when it impacted, enough so that it delayed the speed of the Delta in its path. To Chase's dismay, not long after, the Delta quickly regained its lost ground.

"What?" Chase shouted, "Is there anything we can do to stop you?"

Chase crossed both of his arms in a swift motion, creating a large wall of fire on the ground. Effortlessly, the two Delta-Starlens dashed through the barrier as if it wasn't even there. They had already absorbed Chase's ability… making it nearly impossible for him to damage them.

"Any progress?" Aster asked, still trying to keep up her pace.

"I guess you could say learning what _not_ to do is technically progress…"

Chase noticed that the two of them were now exiting the city. Aster was taking them down a path the left the crowded remains of Amahani civilization and into the rolling hills and wilderness of Marksul. There were no longer any plants, just long expanses of rust colored ground and drifting fields of ash.

"You cannot escape us!" one of the Delta-Starlens snarled.

The creature launched a ball of plasma from its mouth, one of which had a direct collision course with the human's face. Chase brought his arms up, blocking the blast with his alminar ability, and then throwing it back. The Delta used its _own _absorbed ability to knock the reflected blast of course, causing it to explode into flames a good 10 feet to the right.

Aster was now climbing up the side of a large hill, causing the battle to continue on an inclined slope.

"Take this!" Chase shouted, now desperately trying to find a way to harm the Deltas. He brought his hands together, creating a small condensed sphere of plasma. He continued to build it up, not letting its energy escape. It grew in brightness. Its thermal energy was growing to a level unreached by Chase thus far. The flame changed color, shining a bright blue. Chase smiled, throwing the fireball right between the approaching Deltas. It exploded on contact with the ground. All of the thermal power was released instantaneously, causing a cascade of fire and heat in all directions. The blast knocked Aster and Chase forward, causing the human to tumble off the disoriented Starlen.

"What in the world?" Aster said, getting to her feet along with Chase. They were near the top of the hill, and below them, was the forms of two heavily burnt Delta-Starlens.

"Did I actually kill them?" Chase stated, out of breath. On queue, the Deltas stood up, their injuries fading due to their absorbed ability. Chase gritted his teeth.

"Come on!" Aster commanded, the two of them took off up the rest of the hill, only to have their hopes crushed. It wasn't just a hill, it was the edge of a lake. Below them, after a shear 50 foot drop-off, was a lake of burning lava. Flames licked the cliff below. There was no survival in sight.

The Deltas were now at the top of the hill with them.

"Like I said… you can't escape."

"Captains will never quit!" Aster shouted.

"You are not a captain!" the Delta shouted back, "You are low-ranked cadet. You are nothing. You lost your chance at power… and now… you will suffer!"

"Is that so?" Chase responded. The human took a few steps back, now standing on the edge of the cliff.

"What are you doing?" Aster questioned.

"The way I see it… it's either save our lives and risk dying quickly… or be torn apart slowly by… them." He gestured towards the Starlens, one of which was now drooling.

"What?"

"I hope this works…"

Chase leaned backwards, and fell of the cliff. His body plummeted downwards, colliding with the lava at the bottom. Aster couldn't look. She was in complete disbelief of the situation.

"Aww… one of our dinners left…" one of the Delta-Starlens said, "Looks we'll have to share this one…"

"You can't do this!" Aster exclaimed.

"It's funny though…" the Delta-Starlen said, "Even when you die… your soul will not remain for long."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything will be destroyed. All of reality. All of the afterlife. Everything. Gone. Agriath will rule the void once again. No amount of light can cast him out!"

"Really?" came Chase's voice.

There was an explosion sound below. A spear shaped pillar of fire came rocketing out of the lake of lava. It zoomed up to being level with Aster and the two Deltas, its form still vague. The fire and lava melted away, only to reveal Chase, floating in mid air.

His body was coated in a layer of flames. His clothes and skin were visible, but a translucent layer of flames seemed to be radiating from his body in all directions.

"How?..."

"I knew it!" Chase shouted, "This is just… awesome. What did I tell Roku? I said… 'like the flaming torch…' I _never_ thought I'd be so right!"

"Huh?"

"Well… it's not technically flying… in fact, not at all. I'm using the heat of the fire to create a column of heat beneath me. Since I can control fire… I can control the position of that column as well… It's not too… practical, but it does prove one thing… I can survive a fall into lava!"

"What is this nonsense?" one of the Deltas shouted.

Chase turned to face the Delta-Starlens. He smiled.

Putting both of his arms out to the side, Chase concentrated deeply. His ability let him manipulate fire… so this might be a stretch. He knew that he needed to pull it off though.

The lava far below began to rise. Two distinct clumps of lava were rising out of the lake and moving towards either side of Chase. They were each about 4 feet in diameter. Chase brought his hands together in a clapping motion, causing the blobs to fly forward, each one hitting a Delta.

Their skin burned. They were screaming in agony. The Deltas could not use their ability to save them.

Chase hovered towards the ground and then came to a stop, allowing gravity to pull him down. The layer of flames disappeared, his clothes intact.

"I thought you said they absorbed your power?" Aster questioned.

"They did that _before_ I learned how to manipulate lava. Another one of their weaknesses, I'm assuming."

The Deltas were writing in pain. Their body was melting into the ground. It wasn't long before they had become a pile of dark ash. Their very form was gone, now being blown away in the wind.

Aster and Chase just stood a good 10 feet from the cliff edge, just trying to catch their breath.

A few minutes later, Aster's radio turned on. It was Maruck's voice… but in a language that Chase had no knowledge of.

_"Gormin oathlt tindrg o chent oald risintrika twormin sevenkdre."_

"What?" Chase said.

"He's speaking in Scorpnak, he turned off his translator. It makes it so that the Deltas can't understand what's going on."

"Yeah… but neither can we."

"No… it's a code… look. Take just the first letters of each word. G… o… t… o… c… o… r… and that's… 2 and then 70. He's saying _'go to cor 2 , 70.' _ In other words, _'Meet me at coordinates 2 degrees from Starlen base and then 70 kilometers in that direction."_

"How far is that from here?"

"A good distance… I'd say 5 kilometers north east. Here… we can go faster if you ride on my back again."

Not even 15 seconds later, they were on their way towards the new rendezvous point.

* * *

_Far away…_

Harko was typing away on his console in his poorly reconstructed workshop. He was sweating in the uncomfortable heat. The Grox had no care for air conditioning.

The door came swinging open with a mighty slam, causing the Tharian engineer to jump a little.

It was Veara.

"Any progress?" the evil Artlen said, now standing behind Harko.

"I might be a bit faster if you lowered the temperature in here… I feel like I'm going to burst into flames."

"That _can _be arranged," Veara said, moving so that Harko could see her clearly, "Understand that the Grand Master is requesting that you finish within the week."

"A week?"

"Yes, Tharian, a week. He is preparing the Tesseract as we speak. It will be positioned at the top of the Main Control Tower. He is requesting build instructions immediately."

"Fine… here look." Harko pointed towards a diagram on the screen in front of him. Veara leaned in to get a look.

"We need to position 14 of these quantum accelerators in a circle around the tower. Each one will separately handle the production of a single xeton of dark energy. All of this energy will be fed into the Tower's quantum core, which will then be fed straight into the Tesseract. Although, we're gonna need to bypass a large number of security protocols to funnel that much energy into the Tower. Once again, this whole thing could destabilize and explode. The power required for this is unbelievable."

"How big of a destabilization?" Veara questioned.

"Large enough to disintegrate the planet… and then the rest of the Pyles system."

"Well then… I suggest you not let that happen."

"Believe me… I won't."

* * *

"So… your telling me that this is the _real_ Arcadia?" Aster said, for what seemed like the fifth time.

"Yes… I'm sure," Maruck resonded.

They were all standing at the new rendezvous point, which was somewhere in the middle of a forest. The trees were not alive, they were simply husks of life. Their structure was resilient enough to stay standing… but they were incredibly weak. There were no leaves or grass… just the charred wood and branches.

Standing in the small clearing was Maruck, Aster, Chase, and Arcadia.

"I was talking with _this _Arcadia before you guys arrived," Maruck explained to Chase and Aster, "Apparently, when he went to explore the cave south of the Starlen Base, he was taken by the Deltas and copied."

"Yeah," Arcadia jumped in, "I was just about to be eaten, when I turned on my shield, and blew up an anti-matter bomb in their face."

"That was the explosion we heard?" Chase realized.

"The first one, yeah. I discovered that I was being held in a warehouse near the northmost part of the Amahani City. I climbed out of the rubble, my shield protecting me. I saw the Starlen Base get destroyed shortly after, and I heard the message for the new rendezvous point. I'm assuming both of you did too."

"Yeah…" Aster said, "But how can we _know_ this isn't just another copy?"

"I already tested him," Maruck explained.

"Tested?"

Maruck curled his scorpion-like tail around the right side of his body, grabbing it with his hands to keep it steady, as the skeleton within the tail tended to hold it in place.

"Quick lesson. Scorpnak venom is incredibly deadly…" Maruck said, revealing the stinger, "… to most species. However, Chimera are unaffected, due to the natural powerful antigens in their body. A true Chimera would be unaffected by the venom."

"Smart," Aster commented.

"You have... venom?" Chase said, with a surprised look.

"Yeah… just cause I don't tell you something doesn't mean it isn't there," Maruck responded, allowing his tail to slide back into its normal position, in a long curve behind his back.

"Not to be annoying but… how can we know that these two aren't Deltas as well?" Arcadia asked Maruck.

"I sent that message out in an ancient Scorpnak dialect. The Deltas haven't copied me yet, so they have no knowledge of it. Only the true Chase and Aster would recognize it."

"Got it," Chase said, "Um… now what do we do?"

Maruck pulled out a small device. It was circular and flat. He tossed it in front of him, where it lit up and hovered at about everyone's waist height. A holographic grid extended from all sides of it, eventually solidifying into an image. Mountains and buildings appeared on it… rivers of lava, and fields of ash. It was a portable version of the map that was at the center of the Starlen Base.

"This is so cool…" Chase muttered.

"We're here," Maruck said, pointing to the forest just northeast of the Amahani City, which took up a fare portion of the center of the holo-map. Down at the very bottom was the destroyed Starlen Base, and off to the far west portion, Chase and Aster could see the lake they had been chased to.

"We need to get…" Maruck swiped his hand across the map, causing it to shift over, moving the forest to the very bottom, and revealing an entire new section of land.

"Here." Maruck was pointing at the center of the map, where, shockingly, stood an Infestation Pod.

"Those things," Arcadia said, looking at the device distastefully, "They have de-terraformed countless Chimera colonies."

"What's an infestation pod?" Chase asked.

"A powerful Grox device," Aster explained, "It burrows its way into the planet, rooting itself deep into the mantle, until, unless it's destroyed quickly, it becomes impossible to remove without destroying the entire planet. Its main function is this… deterraform the planet it's on, and make it suitable for the Grox."

"But… why can't they just de-terraform the planet the conventional way… why do they need to use this device?"

"Its relatively small, compared to a gigantic mothership orbiting the planet as it fires its deterraform ray, or as the Grox call it, their 'cleansing ray,'" Aster explained, "When up against a remotely suitable opponent, they want to take pressure off of their space fleet."

"It also contains a powerful archon core," Maruck said, "Prevents the use of other re-terraforming abilities... just… in general. We thought this might be the case, given that Roku was unable to use his staff of life when he arrived on this planet."

"The Pod can stop that?"

"Indeed it can."

"It doesn't matter anyway… since Roku is still missing," Chase said, "Does anyone have any idea where he is?"

"Nope.

"Nada."

"Not a clue."

"Huh… that is weird…"

"Okay, but what are we going to do when we get to the pod?" Arcadia asked.

"The Deltas are made out of a Kronon core, right?" Maruck said.

"Yeah."

"So… if we can amplify the infestation pod _enough…_ even though the Deltas were altered by the Grox, they are still probably affected by the powers of archon. The Grox didn't change that energy within them. A huge blast of archon might still destroy the Deltas."

"Are you sure?"

"It's worth a shot… oh, and before I forget, methods of attacking a Delta: instant destruction or continual damage. Those are the only ways to stop them. My venom works because even if they absorb the _ability_, they continue to die. Like Arcadia noticed, large explosions also work."

"And lava," Chase added, "I'll be able to fight them as well."

"Excellent…" Maruck said, "Now… let's be on our way. Be quiet as we walk. Turn off your radios completely, as well. We don't want them to find out where we are."

* * *

Half an hour of walking later, they came upon the edge of the forest.

It overlooked a gigantic crater. There was no wildlife or plants as far as the eye could see; just long and desolate plains, with this massive breach in the ground. At the craters center was the Infestation pod, a massive 50 foot tall purple structure that was covered in Grox technology. It had large, glowing, yellow bulbs, giant horn like appendages that were pitch black in color, and large tentacle portions that extended from the bottom of the pod and throughout the crater. These 'tentacles' burrowed down into the ground at different places. It looked as if the device was _growing _into the ground.

To their dismay, it looked as if squads of Deltas were zooming around the pod itself. They were Deltas in their true… hideous form. The Grox must have also given the Deltas full control of their hovering ability… for they could now fly completely at will and much higher than 5 feet. They were moving up and around the entire length of the crater, circling around the infestation pod that they were protecting.

Ash also blew around this area, and fair number of sinkholes filled with lava also littered the bottom of the crater.

"How… are we going to get to the pod?" Chase asked, looking bewildered at the challenge before them.

"We have to run down the length of the nearest tentacle," Maruck said, pointing at the purple robotic appendage that burrowed into the ground near the edge of the forest clearing, "The metal should give us cover on at least that one side."

"Good idea," Arcadia continued, "And… Maruck, I'm guessing you'll be using your venom?"

"Yep."

"Chase will be manipulating those puddles of lava, and Aster will be… what?"

"Not sure yet."

"Here, take this," Maruck said, handing Aster a small gun-like device. It was black in color, and had a vial attached to it containing a purple liquid.

"What is this?"

"Energy pistol powered by Scorpnak venom. I'm going to using one too, as a ranged attack would prove to be much more useful in the upcoming situation," Maruck explained, pulling out his own from his belt, "Here's one as well, Arcadia." He handed a third pistol over to the chimera.

"Why can't we use the stealth fields?" Aster questioned.

"Great idea… but…" Arcadia responded.

"What?"

"All of us have already used up a fare share of our shields' energy. The stealth field is just an energy hog. If we activated it… we probably would only get _to _the pod itself. Once there, we'd be out in the open."

"It's a boost, so I'm willing to take it," Maruck said, "Once there, I'll go into the pod and find the core, send it into an overload. All of Marksul _should _be shocked without about 3 zenons of archon energy. We should be safe _inside_ the pod itself. Any questions?"

Everyone was silent.

"Okay then… are we ready?" Chase asked.

"As much as we'll ever be," Aster said.

"Remember, hit the Deltas with the venom pistol first, and then use whatever other methods of offense that you prefer," Maruck stated, turning to face the crater. "Okay then… here we go."

The four captains took off at a sprint. They were rushing down the edge of the crater, having to try and not loose their footing. For the most part they were sliding down the far end of the crater, kicking up large amounts of dust as they did so.

They reached the bottom of the crater, moving swiftly over towards the tentacle. Maruck was in the front, with Arcadia right behind him, Aster next, and Chase bringing up the rear. They were sprinting along the side of the tentacle, trying to keep their bodies as out of sight as possible.

The four of them flipped on their stealth fields, allowing the light bending particles to engulf their body. It was a powerful piece of technology bestowed upon captains. By bending light waves, the stealth field rendered the wearer practically invisible.

Due to the fields' nature of being incredibly costly in terms of energy usage, captains and other military personnel tended to resort to other means of disguise. But in a choice between getting assaulted by 200 Deltas… or actually _making it_ to the destination… there was little choice.

They were running at full speed along the edge of the tentacle, trying to reach the center of the crater before their stealth field ran out of power. Chase was in the back, trying desperately to keep up. He wasn't doing too badly either.

They were a good 50 feet from the pod itself. They were all quite exhausted, having little rest since the Deltas began attacking.

Aster thought about the rest of the Starlens… were they all dead? The base was gone… how many could have survived?

In this moment, the stealth fields were drained of their power.

The four captains came to a sliding halt before the base of the infestation pod, with its shiny metallic surface gleaming in the light from the star far above.

"Positions everyone!" Maruck commanded, moving towards the pod, while the rest of the crew circled around him.

They were ready to fight to the death.

The Deltas saw them. Their hungry eyes turned, all 200 of them, stopping their orbit of the pod, and staring down at the four creatures below. It seemed as if some of them were smiling, and if they could, they probably were. The Deltas saw the captains below as simply food, and nothing else.

The swarm began to converge on their position, spiraling down in a terrifying cloud of wings and fury, much like a swarm of bats on earth.

Chase reacted quickly. There was a sinkhole nearby, containing a large amount of bubbling lava. The human raised his hands, grabbing the melted rock with his ability. By raising his arms, the lava shot up in a pillar of burning power. By expanding his arms shortly after, the lava shot out in every direction, consuming a good portion of the Delta swarm.

The rest of the swarm was delayed in their approach.

"Yeah!" Chase shouted.

"Excellent work!" Aster exclaimed from in front of him.

There was still a significantly large cloud of stingray-like monsters heading for them.

"Arcadia," Maruck shouted, "If you would do the honors of opening this pod."

The Chimera spun around quickly and sliced the metal wall with his bladed knuckles. The surface was weakened, allowing Arcadia to break with a single kick right afterwards.

"Great, now help the others!"

Arcadia nodded and ran back to join Aster and Chase.

Another large clump of Deltas was converging on them. Arcadia was the one who reacted this time, pulling out the venom pistol and a grenade. Jamming the two together, he threw the pistol into the air using his powerful chimera arms. As the device reached the peak of its flight, the grenade exploded. The Scorpnak venom went flying everywhere, being transferred through shrapnel of the gun, the grenade, and many other pieces of debris.

"Perfect!" Aster shouted, "That's way more efficient than just shooting each on individually!"

Chase began moving another pillar of lava, having it consume another good portion of the Delta swarm. He then moved the flames across in one giant motion, creating a temporary wall of flames. This wall once again slowed the approach of the Deltas. Time was running out, however.

Regardless, the Deltas were getting dangerously close. It seemed impossible for any of their weapons to inflict harm.

"And… why is it that we can't go into the pod with Maruck?" Chase asked.

"The Deltas would tear up the pod's hull to get to us, and we need it as intact as possible if we want to survive a pulse of archon!" Aster responded, looking around at the many approaching abominations.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Chase exclaimed.

"Keep fighting!" Arcadia shouted.

At the time, none of them would have acknowledged this possibility. None of them would have even thought that this scenario could occur, but against all likelihood, it did. Their situation got worse. Terribly worse. What had been happening before became child play… this was where the changes the Grox had made to the Deltas… really began to become noticeable.

The Deltas opened their mouths, and out came…

Alminar Gas.

"No… " Chase said.

"What is that stuff?" Aster questioned, looking at the green cloud in curiosity.

"No… no… NO!" Chase exclaimed, "You… both of you… haven't been to earth!"

"What does that have to do with _anything?_" Arcadia shouted.

The substance was drizzling in torrents from the mouths of the many Deltas. They had stopped approaching. They were now simply hovering the same distance all around them, forming a gigantic dome. All of the Deltas were releasing the toxic green gas, and it was clumping together, forming a single mass of death. The green cloud was descending slowly, blocking the Deltas from view.

"What are we supposed to do?" Aster asked.

"My god! The Grox must have infused the Deltas with the ability to produce alminar gas as well!" Chase shouted, "It's unimaginably toxic to all those who haven't breathed earth air."

"What?"

Chase drew his arms in a large motion, creating another wall of fire, hoping to abolish the approaching gas… but it didn't work. The alminar gas appeared to be unaffected by anything in the environment. It was perfectly static… and always deadly.

It had been a while since the human looked at the gas that had almost destroyed his world… and he hated it no less. Chase was not going to let this happen.

The three captains heard something struggling behind them, only to find Maruck, restrained by a Delta. His arms were held painfully behind his back by the Delta's sharp claws.

"Release him!" Arcadia shouted.

"You've already lost," the Delta said, "I'm no expert in captain stratagems… but I'd say that this mission… is a _failure._"

The alminar gas engulfed everyone near the infestation pod. Chase and Maruck watched in horror as Arcadia and Aster collapsed to the ground, the neurological poison within the tesseract's byproduct being ten times more potent than Scorpnak venom. There was nothing that they could do.

Arcadia was shaking on the ground, with the pain of a thousand needles stabbing him. To him, it felt like his body was on fire. That his arms were being ripped off and re-attached, that the whole world was disappearing in a blur of pain. Aster screamed as the same occurred to her.

"NO!" Maruck shouted, "STOP THIS!"

"They're lucky," the Delta said, "They'll be dead when we eat them… you two however… are immune to the gases effect… and… well… prepare for some fun."

Chase was furious. He needed to end this now. This could _not_ be happening. All of their adventures so far… to end in the blink of an eye. It couldn't be.

The human closed his eyes, forced to except the inevitable. His heart beat with sadness. It was over…

Silence.

There was something in his genes. Some powerful force breaking through. He could feel its power. It was his ancestry… a power from tens of thousand of years ago. Marks… captain Marks of the Tharians… telling him something…

_The universe is huge… impossibly huge… insanely huge! Do not underestimate it, prodigal. For one day, you will reach the stars, I am sure of it. You will become more successful than any human before you. You are the light of the multiverse, the Central Fire of existence. You will shine a light large enough to cast out the greatest darkness. Please remember this… for a day will come when it seems all hope is lost. Please… keep in mind the idea of all ultimatum. I should not even need to say it, for you know. If you are truly the captain I had hoped… you will know, that the impossible does happen._

Chase understood the infinite, for just that moment. He saw the meaning, the planned timeline, the complexity of the multiverse. He understood that this could not be where he died. This was not his time.

BOOM!

Something hit the infestation pod. A gigantic anti-matter missile had collided with the pod, destroying the hull and ripping apart the circuitry. Whatever had sent it was incredibly powerful, capable wiping out Grox technology in a single blast.

A huge gust of wind began to blow. It was insanely powerful, blowing the alminar gas away with its glorious speed. The green gas was forced away in great torrents. Their vision was cleared again, and Chase could at last lay eyes on what had rescued them.

It was a circular spaceship, containing four silver metallic prongs on the side. The ship was incredibly like the UFO's of earth myth, but with a pink circle around the top, and an aura of Kronon energy that seemed to radiate from it. The majority of the spacecraft was silver, with multiple metallic plates.

It was a spaceship unlike anything Chase had seen thus far.

A decension beam appeared below it, quickly followed by the decent of two forms from the ship.

Chase's mouth dropped.

It was Roku, and the Jaxxod from the Primo illusion.

Their feet and talons touched the ground. Roku stood there with a look of complete determination on his face. He was not happy with the Deltas, and it seemed as though he knew _exactly _what he was doing. Roku had the Staff of Life grasped in his right hand, and was looking straight up into the mass of creatures.

"Deltas! You have plagued this world long enough!" Roku shouted, "It is time for your life to end. You all contain Kronon cores… but as I _know, _the Grox altered that. There is quite a bit of archon in your veins as well."

"And so?" the Deltas that was binding Maruck shouted.

Roku looked down and towards that creature. The New Tharian smiled.

"You are subject to the power of this."

Roku held out his Staff of Life, allowing its life energy to radiate outwards.

"This is the ultimate power of life. Dark ones… fear its power! The Infestation Pod is destroyed… so this is now capable of using its ultimate ability!"

Roku jabbed the bottom tip of the staff into the ground, cracking it roughly.

"RELEASE CHARGE 15!"

A huge expansion of green energy passed through everyone on the scene, radiating from the staff itself. It shot out and expanded exponentially, flying all the way out to the horizon, and as they knew, _all around the planet._ Shortly after, clouds began to appear in the sky. Faster than anything natural, it began to rain. On the desolate T0 world of Marksul, it began to rain. Lighting could be heard above. The Staff of Life was changing the atmosphere.

Around the staff, a large amount of green energy was building up. In a glorious blast, it was released, rippling outwards. Its power was amazing. It healed all of their wounds. The energy was the power of ultimate life, replicated by the Jaxxod 300 billion years ago. The energy was touching all of the landforms as it expanded. The puddles of lava turned into ponds, the burnt forest at the edge of the crater became a lush, green, beautiful wilderness. The rolling hills were growing grass. The ground beneath their feet became fertile. Flowers began to sprout – more trees, a growing atmosphere, a stable ecosystem. All of it was emerging. In the distance, animals of all shapes and sizes were materializing. Herbivores, carnivores, and all kinds of life were slotting into place, completing the global ecosystem. The world was now perfectly made.

The energy stopped expanding, and the storm clouds disappeared. The sky above was blue, with the star now shining its welcoming warm rays down onto the lush, life-filled world of Marksul.

In that moment, the Deltas fell to the ground. The Grox had made them like them. The Deltas weren't just given the ability to survive on barren worlds, they _had _to, just like the Grox. They writhed on the ground, screaming, unable to breath in the atmosphere around them.

Within 30 seconds, they were all dead.

Stekvan stepped up behind Roku.

"I'd call that… deus ex machina for the win," the Jaxxod remarked.

Roku let out a small laugh.

"You… how?" Chase said.

Stekvan and Roku ran forward so that they could stand near the rest of the crew.

"This is Stekvan… also known as Steve. It's rather… a long story. Don't worry, I'll tell you as soon as I can. In the meantime…" Roku said, pointing at Aster and Arcadia. The pair was now slowly getting to their feet.

"You're alive!" Maruck exclaimed.

"Yeah… obviously," Arcadia responded.

"How?"

"The Staff healed them. It is the ultimate power of life, it saw exactly what they needed, and based this planets atmosphere off of it. The oxygen on this world is exactly Kronon level 67. Just what they needed to survive the alminar," Roku explained.

"You're saying…"

"Yep, they should have alminar abilities as well."

"When will we find out what they are?" Chase questioned.

"It could take a few days for them to emerge," Stekvan added, "We'll just have to wait."

"What are you guys talking about?" Aster asked, back on her feet.

"You'll see… it is rather awesome," Chase said, "Where to now?"

"_Where to?_ Chase, we've been going from planet to planet. Are you at all intent at taking a break?" Roku said.

"The Grand Master won't."

"Good answer."

The crew began to move towards Stekvan's ship, across the new grassy surface of the crater.

"But really… where?"

"Why don't you just wait and see, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Who wants to do the honors?" Stekvan asked, looking at the rest of the captains.

Chase raised his hand.

Maruck forced it down with his own hand.

"I will," Aster said, "Ascend!"


	27. The Call to War

_I know you guys are exited, cause here's the next chapter! I'm going to try and 'up my game,' so to speak, and release more chapters sooner, without sacrificing quality. Wish me luck!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**27:** THE CALL TO WAR

* * *

"Praise Spode and all his domain…"

_"For magrah congrath iths tel undra…"_

"Curse the false god and his corrupt existence…"

_"Zinth el unkand dio en tun corkenga exintrinkg…"_

"Spode is beyond time…"

_"Magrah en vultina tempenxo…"_

"Beyond the hollow…"

_"Vultina ji agarat…"_

"Beyond comprehension!"

_"Vultina hantranxino!"_

"Beyond the ascended ones!"

_"Vultina ji azandreden dinds!"_

"Spode is our god!"

_"Magrah en nondred dio!"_

This was followed by a round of rhythmic applause. The audience of Poppero worshipers took their seats, looking intently at the priest at the front of the gigantic sanctuary.

The priest moved to the podium in front of him. "Thank you for attending our special event today. As you know, today is the 25,000th anniversary of the Poppero's break off from the Old Tharian alliance. They saw our species as corrupt and hateful, when we were simply trying to spread the true word of Spode to all of Aeron. The current _Chimera_ alliance was kind enough to allow us to use this Akros Theater for our event, as it's probably one of the few places in the entire galaxy capable of holding this many people at once."

This was quite true. The amphitheater-like room was the size of three to four football fields, extending outwards from the stage in one giant cone shape. There were humungous chandeliers hanging from the distant ceiling, and thousands upon thousand of seats, each arranged on different balconies and platforms, many of which were hovering. There were many breaks in the seat rows for the exit and entrance of the audience, but also a single highly decorated central exit row. The pathway was lined with lampposts, each with a glowing flame at the top in the shape of Spode's eye. An ornate and incredibly long glowing design followed the path of the central row from the large double doors in the distant back all the way to the base of the stage.

Numerous spotlights shone down at the podium at the center of the stage, where the priest continued to smile at the audience. The metal beneath him was blue and static, while large banners on either side of him depicted the Poppero empire logo and more representations of the 'Spode's eye.' Multiple hovering cameras were swerving around the sides of the stage, each trying to get the best angle on the priest. This ceremony was being broadcasted live to the entire galaxy.

"As you know," the priest continued, "This Theater is used for large scale announcements and performances. This is a place for messages to go out to the entire galaxy. Here today, we are having a service for all the zealots in Aeron to watch!"

There was a round of thunderous applause.

"This is one of the few times that zealots have been permitted to do something like this…" the priest said, "Most of the time… other empires are so unchanging and static that they cannot think, even for a second, that Spode is watching over their actions. Today, that changes."

More applause.

"We are united… against the dark flame… of the false god!"

An applause unmatched by any so far.

"Now… does anyone in the audience have anything to say?"

There was silence.

The door in the back of the theater burst open. Someone was racing down the center isle, speeding towards the stage.

The priest looked surprised. He stared at the intruder that was relatively far away, with a surprised look on his face. The figure was dressed in an all black robe, with a large hood that covered most of its face. It was moving at a swift pace along the carpet of the center isle. Faces in the audience turned in rapt interest as the strange newcomer walked past their seats. The priest followed the creature with his eyes, confused as to what was happening.

The cameras were spinning around to face the new developing action. All of the Spode-worshipers in the galaxy were watching this now.

Three more creatures came bursting through the back door. They each followed behind the first figure in succession. The first was a New Tharian, the second a Chimera, and the third a Starlen. They moved towards the stage with apparent determination.

"Excuse me," the priest said through the large speaker system, "What is the meaning of this? Seating closed 10 minutes ago."

The New Tharian, now about halfway down the isle, raised his arm. The Poppero priest jumped in shock as his microphone flew out of his hands. Some external force was causing the audio device to shoot across the room and towards the intruders. With great skill, the Tharian caught it. Still moving, he began to speak into it.

"I require immediate compliance," the Tharian said, "All members of the audience will stay seated. This is of the utmost importance."

The priest scrambled through his pockets for another microphone. He managed to find the small backup device that he pinned to his upper collar. He stared back at the approaching figures.

"I don't understand," the priest said, "Do you think you can just barge in here and interrupt our service. Who do you think you are?"

"Our presence has nothing to do with your service! The timing was a mere coincidence."

"But still… who are you, _Tharian?"_

He didn't speak until the group of intruders reached the edge of the stage, just past the front row of seats.

The priest gasped when he saw Tharian's face.

"You know who I am. Captain Roku Azero."

The priest had a look of mixed frustration and hate on his face.

"You have ruined our worship of the great god long enough!" the priest exclaimed, "So many times do you break in and stop us from…"

"…converting helpless citizens of lower planets into your strict zealot society? And killing those who don't comply? Correct me if I'm wrong… but I don't think your doing Spode much honor."

The priest was livid now.

"You and your little crew shall be escorted out of this worship hall immediately!"

"No... we won't," said Arcadia, to the right of Roku.

"We're here for a reason," Aster added, "And you don't own this amphitheater anyway... its property of the Chimera Alliance."

"We we're given privilege..."

"Exactly," Roku interrupted, "_Privilege_ to use it. Right now, our message is far more important than..."

"_More important than Spode's word?"_

Roku stepped forward.

"You don't understand! If you can't take my word for it, then believe the one spoken about in your sacred book!"

"Who?"

Roku raised his arm again, using his telekinesis at the stage directly in front of him. The normally concealed staircase emerged from the metal. It slotted into place, creating a pathway for Roku and his crew. The four intruders quickly scaled the staircase, moving to stand behind the bewildered looking priest.

Roku stepped up next to the priest. He looked him in the eyes.

"Give me 5 minutes, and I'll prove everything to you. You're going to have to trust me," Roku said, calmly, "For the sake of all Spode's creation."

The priest thought about this for a moment. "Fine. You have 5 minutes," the Poppero priest said, taking a few steps back.

"Thank you."

Roku turned back to face the audience.

* * *

Maruck and Chase came bursting through the sound room doors.

"What... what's going on?" one of the sound managers, another stunned looking Poppero, exclaimed.

"No time to explain," Maruck stated, pushing his way past the sound manager.

"Excuse me!" he shouted.

Maruck quickly began messing with controls on the interface panel in front of him. The sound manager just stood back, a look of astonishment on his face.

"I can't let you do this!"

"Really?" Maruck responded, showing off the bladed knuckles attached to his wrists. The manager took another step back.

"Where is this?" Chase asked, standing next to the scorpnak.

"The sound room for the Akros Theater. Look down there."

Chase stared to where Maruck was pointing and gasped. Just beyond the exceptionally long control panel was an open window. They were in some sort of room that protruded from the ceiling of a much larger one. Below them, thousands upon thousands of seats were arranged in detailed rows. And in the distance, on the reflective and ornate stage, was Roku, standing next to the podium.

_"Give me 5 minutes, and I'll prove everything to you. You're going to have to trust me," _the distant Roku said into his mic, _"For the sake of all creation."_

_ "Fine. You have 5 minutes."_

"Okay," Maruck said, "Hand me the energy key." Chase pulled out the so far incredibly useful device. The Scorpnak took it in his hands, and without hesitation, jammed it into a slot near the bottom of the panel. The device lit up, working its hacking magic. Moments later, they were in.

"What are we doing?" Chase asked.

"Getting access to the broadcast routers. This room not only controls the theaters acoustics... it also determines what channels the program is broadcasted too. Right _now... _it's set to broadcast only to channel 44, and to all users registered with the archetype 'zealot.' _But..._ that's not what we're here for."

"You're going to set it..."

"to broadcast to _all_ channels and _everyone_ in the alliance. Yes."

Maruck pressed a few more buttons, leading to the appearance of a holographic screen. It prompted him with a message and a voice.

Override_ unsuccessful. Broadcast to all channels is prohibited. Administrator credentials necessary for attempted function._

"Do we have those?" Chase asked.

Maruck spun around to look at the petrified Poppero sound manager.

"Would you do the honors?" Maruck asked, gesturing for the manager to activate the command. He hesitantly moved forward, before asking, "What are you guys doing anyway?"

"Saving the galaxy... and maybe the universe too... so I suggest you listen to what we're telling you."

He took a deep breath and then said, "Disengage Lock 77-gamma-aer-47b-quarin. Username..." He paused.

"What is it?" Maruck asked.

"It's just..."

"Go."

"Username... SpodesBFF. Password... fluffyspoffit33."

"Really?" Chase said.

"Shut up," the manager replied.

_Credentials accepted._

"Awesome, we're in."

_Broadcasting performance to all known frequencies..._

Maruck laid back in the chair a look of success on his face.

_"Maruck!"_ Roku said into his mic from the stage far below, _"Is the system ready?"_

Maruck grabbed a small microphone next to him. His voice boomed throughout the entire theater. "Yes, it's now broadcasting to the entire Chimera Alliance."

* * *

Roku turned back to face the figure behind him. The one clad in the long black robe returned the gaze, nodding.

"People of the Aeron Galaxy! Please heed my call!" Roku shouted across the theater, and to an extent, into every channel of the galaxy, "This message is being broadcasted to everyone in the Chimera Alliance. Now is the time for all of us to come together. Now is the time for us to finally unite. Now is the time for us to rid the galaxy of the dark flame... of the Grox!"

The audience stared back, intrigued.

"How... you may ask... are we going to accomplish this? May I present to you, a friend of mine... and the once great protector of this galaxy. He is written about in the book of Spode, the scrolls of shaman, and the many artifacts that litter this galaxy." The Tharian stepped aside, allowing the figure in the cloak to step forward.

The figure stood before the podium, raising his arms. In one swift motion, he pulled the hood back, revealing his face. The audience gasped.

"My name is Stekvan Gallindo," he said, "And I... am a Jaxxod."

There was complete silence in the theater.

* * *

_Far away, in the Kindra System..._

"Mommy, what's this?" a small Starlen child questioned.

The mother came trotting into the living room, looking towards the holo-television with a look of curiosity on her face.

"What are you watching sweetie?"

"I _was _watching my favorite cartoon... but then... this," the child responded, motioning towards the screen. The Starlen mom moved forward, examining the program. On screen was a creature with uncanny resemblance to a Grox, with the exception of a taller stature and a less blood-like skin color. He was standing near a podium, giving out some kind of message.

_"Understand this, people of the Aeron Galaxy,"_ the figure on screen spoke, _"We are in terrible times. A time of darkness and destruction. If we do not act now, we risk having our universe's very life-force extinguished. My name is Stekvan, and I am a member of this galaxie's oldest race, once known as the Jaxxod. They were spoken about in books, scrolls, tablets, and the just about every recovered piece of history. We were once this galaxies greatest scientists, until the day the fabric of our universe was ripped open, and a deity of darkness entered our world..."_

"Mommy, what's he talking about?"

"I don't know sweetie... why don't you go eat your lunch now, okay?"

"Okay..."

The small Starlen walked slowly out of the room, with the mother continuing to watch what was happening on the television.

_"You can see, today, the remnants of that horrible event. The Grox are a dark, devolved version of the Jaxxod, and they had one overriding purpose, to protect the galactic core from those who might release Agriath..."_

* * *

"Harko, are you seeing this?"

The Tharian engineer came sliding out from under the panel he was working on.

"Obviously not, I'm trying to focus on sliding 23 separate energy couplings into place. Whatever it is, Kaeri, I'm sure it can wait."

"No..." the female Tharian said back, "It's... Roku."

Harko's face went from a look of frustration to confusion.

"Roku?"

"Yeah, come see."

Harko moved out from under the panel completely, beginning to walk across the workshop floor. The whole space was dusty and dark. Panels and hi-tech devices littered the floor all around them. Harko was being forced to design and create the energy regulators for the Grox, and they weren't really giving him the best living accommodations. A few days ago, he recommended that Kaeri, one of the smartest Tharians that he knew, be brought in to help him as well. Harko was relieved when he discovered that she was even _alive._

Kaeri was an averaged sized Tharian, with yellowish skin and tan wings. Like most female Tharians, she didn't posses as many feathers on her arms and legs, and had a much lighter skin tone. She had emerald green eyes and a scientific mind that rivaled even Harko's.

Both of the Tharians examined the holographic screen.

"I was just searching for the correct energy algorithm... and then this came up, marked with '_Important message for the Chimera Alliance from the Akros Administration._'"

"But that's..." Harko stuttered, pointing at the Tharian just behind the figure in the foreground of the screen, "That _is_ Roku. He's alive... and what is he doing?"

"You know just as much as I do... I just pulled this up," Kaeri responded, "Listen."

The figure in the front continued to talk. _"The Grox were never trying to stop us from gaining a treasure, they were trying to stop the dark one from escaping. They did this with such vigor, and for so long, that they lost their sanity. Cybernetics, cloning, and archon energy turned them into what they are now. Regardless, I was the final line of defense. I gave a staff of life to anyone who entered the core, and they accepted it as their ultimate meaning. And even then, the staff of life they received, was only one of the many duplicates of the original."_

"Roku told me about that thing..." Harko said, "Strange device. Incredibly powerful though."

"Sshh..." Kaeri said.

_"The original staff, known to some of the Jaxxod as the 'Arcane Biorod,' or 'Mysterious Staff of Life,' was discovered on a world in the far corner of this galaxy. It had incredible power, that we were only able to partially replicate."_

Roku, in the background was motioning for Stekvan to move on to a different topic.

_"Yes," _the Jaxxod continued, _"This is of the utmost importance. People of Aeron you must know about the Tesseract. It is a device from an unknown place, that possesses enough power to rise civilizations up to unheard of heights. The New Tharians possessed it, as did the Jaxxod. It is now in the hands of the darkest being of all. Calling himself the Grand Master, the corrupted Amahani Captain Dimitri is using the powers of archon in an attempt to rule this galaxy. He must be stopped at all costs. Members of the Chimera Alliance, please listen to me. Protect the Sol System, it is undoubtedly likely that the Grox will attempt another siege on that world. If that were to occur... hope for this multiverse might end. Agriath is more powerful than anything witnessed before. He is the false god that will come, spoken of by the Zealots..."_

The Poppero priest off to the side looked up in interest.

_"He is the being which caused the genetic schism the the Artlens. He is the one who inadvertently created the Grox, the ultimate beings of hate within this galaxy. Now is our time, Aeron Galaxy! Agriath is weak. He is trapped in a mortal body. This may be the only opportunity we have to stop him!"_

"Oh my god Harko..." Kaeri said, "We might actually get out of here..."

"No..." Harko muttered, "There's more. The Grox are too smart..."

* * *

Commander Civet came bursting through the dark metal doorway. He approached the throne of his god, bowing before it.

"Grand Master, the rouge captains have been located."

"Where?" the Grand Master barked in return.

"I'm sorry sir, but you won't like it..."

Civet pushed a button on his cybernetic arms, causing the large holographic screen to materialize.

After two seconds of viewing the broadcast, he shouted, with incredible hatred, "End this broadcast immediately. All signal blockers primed to 100%!"

* * *

Back in the Akros theater, Stekvan continued his speech.

"The Tesseract has more to it as well. Those who have not breathed earth air will find themselves dying by a powerful toxic gas. However, if one were to have breathed in the oxygen of earth, they would find themselves empowered with great abilities."

Stekvan gestured back towards the three captains behind him.

Roku moved his arms, lifting the Poppero priest into the air, where he hovered in great distress for a few moments, before the Tharian lowered him back to the ground.

"Telekinesis," Stekvan explained, "Given to Roku through the power of the Hypnomelder."

Arcadia brought all four of his arms out, seconds later causing several columns of ice to form from the water particles in air, blasting out of the floor around him.

"Water and Ice manipulation, given to him through the power of an Ice Band."

Aster smiled, and then took off. She disappeared in a blur of energy, rocketing around the entire perimeter of the theater at breakneck speeds. She was just a vague blur, moving faster than anything natural. Seconds later, she arrived in the exact position where she had started, like nothing had changed.

"Super speed, given to Aster through the power of the Speed Pack."

Stekvan turned back to the audience.

"Don't you see? The Tesseract was meant for earth, and the Grand Master knows that. He will attempt to stop us at all costs. But we _do_ have hope. I still posses the remaining 169 unused staffs. With 42 charges each, that's 7098 planets that can be terraformed to T3. That's _more_ than enough to leave a huge dent in the Grox empire. The only way for us to beat the Grox, and save the multiverse of Agriath, is to work together. That is the point of this broadcast. Everyone must work together to cast out the darkness... Everyone must..."

The power went down.

Light all around the theater cut out. The floating cameras fell to the ground, without energy. The audience let out a yell of fright. Maruck began moving wildly across control panel in the sound room high above. Something had gone wrong. The broadcast had ended.

"What in the blazes is going on?" Arcadia asked.

"It looks like we underestimated our enemy once again..." Roku stated.

* * *

"No, No, NO!" Harko shouted, wildly running away from the screen.

"What are you doing?" Kaeri exclaimed.

Harko spun around. "I overheard some of the Grox talking earlier. They have a network of media controlling satellites flying all around the galaxy. The Grand Master forced them to construct the subspace blocking devices all around the galaxy in key locations."

"What do they do?"

"As far as I can tell, they control the media. Ever wonder why no one knew about the fall of Thar? Or how nobody discovered what happened to Marksul?"

"The Grox have been controlling the flow of information... but for how long?"

"At least a year, since the Grand Master gained power."

"But still... what do you hope to do about it?"

"Get the information where it needs to go," Harko said, simply, "I'm going to need you to run the Dark Energy emulator program."

"Why... it's not even complete yet."

"We're going to take over broadcasting."

"Harko you're being ridiculous!"

The Tharian engineer was sorting through the many parts lying on the floor, obviously looking for something.

"Really? The Dronox guards left an hour ago. And I found a way to hack the security cameras a long time ago. They've had no idea what we've been doing in here at all for quite some time. What's to risk?"

"Well... one, it's nearly impossible, if I have any idea what your planning. And two, they'll track the signal back to us. And the Grox are _not _merciful."

"Funny... You didn't say anything about the tower destabilizing and tearing all of Thar apart."

"Harko!"

"I know it's implausible.. but just hear me out. Ah! Here it is!" Harko exclaimed. He grabbed hold of a small slip of paper, hidden deep within a greatly unorganized stack of papers.

The engineer jumped into the air, extending his wings, and gliding to a halt next to Kaeri, the paper clasped tightly in his hands.

The computer itself was a circular system of interface panels, with three separate monitors arranged around it. Harko was currently typing away on the one adjacent to Kaeri.

"There is _no_ way this is going to work," Kaeri exclaimed.

"I beg to differ," Harko responded, not looking away from the monitor.

"Listen to me Harko. The Akros security system is the single most impenetrable server in the galaxy. There is no way you can access it, not to mention hack it!"

"Who do you think wrote the code?"

Kaeri face was just an expression of disbelief.

"And this," Harko said, pointing at the slip of paper he collected, "Is the basecode of the security system. Through it might be necessary to have a little backdoor... just in case something like this happened."

"You're telling me that you planned for a situation involving the complete Grox takeover of the Galaxy's media?"

"Okay well maybe not _that._"

"But what's your plan?"

"Re-route the broadcast from Akros _into_ the Main Control Tower. As I'm sure you know, the quantum core acts as a communication device for the entire New Tharian Empire."

"Yes, of course I know that. It creates a subspace fold all around the empire, making communication instant between any New Tharian vessel. This is 3rd cycle stuff Harko!"

"But just think. We're adding _14 xetons_ of power to the core. If we could amplify the signal from Akros using the power of the Tower... we could transmit that wavelength... the rally cry for war..."

"...across the entire Aeron Galaxy."

"Exactly. Not just the Chimera Empire. But _any_ piece of technology with a screen that can receive information. Every planet. Every sentient being in this galaxy... will know the truth."

Kaeri just stood there, still looking unsure.

Harko then took off again, dashing towards a collection of cables on a nearby wall.

"But the power algorithms! They're nowhere near complete. We cant' risk incorrectly using that much energy, it could, like you said, rip Thar apart!" Kaeri pointed out.

"I know," Harko said in return, grabbing a rather large connection end of one of the cables and dragging it back over to the computer in the center of the workshop, "But we don't even need all 14 xetons, just 5 of them. You do realize how _much_ 14 xetons really is, right?"

"Yes I know."

Harko placed the cable he was carrying into a large socket at the base of the computer. He jumped back as sparks flew outwards when the connection was made.

"There is no way the Grox would have let us have this much control over the dark energy generators!" Kaeri said, following Harko around, "They gave us the ability to create and manage them, but not use them. The moment we power them up, they'll immediately track them back to us!"

"Just trust me Kaeri, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

The female Tharian didn't look the least bit satisfied.

Harko began typing again on the keyboard built into the interface panel. He was blazing past multiple security screens. He finally reached what he was looking for. A feminine computer voice greeted him.

_Administrator Credentials Required for access into Akros Broadcasting System._

"Username... Harko. Password... 44378453kdxclm."

"Wow... that's complicated..." Kaeri remarked.

"Trust me, nobody's ever guessed it."

_Credentials Accepted. Command Pending..._

"Execute System 7749-m. Reroute broadcasting to Tharian Main Control Tower."

_Location 'Tharian Main Control Tower' is not valid._

"What?" Kaeri said, confused.

"I should have know," Harko stated, "The Grox have these media controllers all over the galaxy, and since they're blocking Akros, they would have jammed the signal by masking it with their own."

"Can you hack past it?"

"I could, but the Grox are rather smart..."

"Then... what?"

"Well, one would think that would create an incredibly complicated cipher, so that any hacker would spend months trying to crack it. But I know the Grox... they're more complicated than that. And in _that _complexity, there in lies the simplicity. They'll make something simple to the point that they don't have to create the code at all."

"So you're going to outsmart them by outsmarting their outsmarting of you?"

"Exactly."

"And how again... are you going to?"

Harko turned back to the computer.

"Execute System 7749-m. Reroute broadcasting to _Wallisian_ Main Control Tower."

_Command Accepted. Broadcast Location changed._

"I thought the Grox finally stopped calling us that," Kaeri said.

"Since when have the Grox been good at following through with promises?"

* * *

"What in the world..." Maruck muttered.

"What is it?" Chase asked.

"Well _first..._ The entire broadcasting system shuts down, and _then_ I get a message of a foreign command script workings its way into the Akros System!"

"What's it doing?" Chase asked.

The Poppero sound manager moved back up to the panel, watching what they were doing from behind.

"I have no idea, as far as I can tell its doing absolutely nothing."

"No... check the rerouting section..." the sound manager said, "It doesn't show up on a regular scan."

Maruck pressed a few buttons, and then widened his eyes in realization.

"The new script is rerouting all of the broadcasting..."

"Is it what caused the broadcast failure in the first place?"

"No... this is different. It's coming from... _Thar._"

"_Thar?"_ Chase said, "Is that... Roku's homeworld?"

"It is..." Maruck responded, "Some races, such as my own, have legends surrounding the place. The shining capital of the New Tharians, with buildings made of gold, and technology that can pierce stars, create matter, and burn entire empires."

"Just legends of course... right?"

"_Some_ of it."

"What can we do about this script?"

"Nothing... it's like it has complete control over everything... Someone is remotely accessing the entire Akros Network."

* * *

"Kaeri! Pass me thermal cables 3 and 9!" Harko shouted.

The Tharian engineer was trying to manage the power fluctuations, make sure the entire system didn't explode, _and_ make sure Kaeri was doing the correct thing, without a single fault.

"Gotcha," Kaeri responded, dashing to the other end of the workshop, grabbing two glowing blue rods. She sprinted back, sliding to a halt before Harko.

"And place them in..."

"Couplings 73 and 12, yes I know. I'm not stupid."

Harko smiled as the other Tharian slid the energy regulators into place.

"What's the progress on the algorithms?" Kaeri questioned.

"Good enough to handle 5 xetons. This should work."

"It better."

A large volume of sparks came shooting out of the cables on a nearby wall, and the temperature of the workshop was increasing drastically.

"What's happening?"

"Excess Dark Energy is being converted into heat energy," Harko responded, sweating a great deal, "We didn't have enough time to work that kink out."

Kaeri typed for a moment, and then said, "We're in. The entire Akros Broadcast it completely rerouted to the Tower."

"Perfect... now we just need to transmit that signal. On my mark, pull down on the levers I call out."

The two Tharians took their places on opposite ends of the circular interface panel.

"Disengage Safety 1 and 2, on my mark... now!"

They pulled down on corresponding levers, causing a loud echoing chime to resonate from the computer.

"Regulators 1 and 2... now!"

Large amounts of steam were rising from the cables all around the workshop walls.

"Regulators 3 and 4... now!"

The entire ground shook, almost as if it was a single vibration from a powerful earthquake.

"Final 2 energy regulators disengaged... now!"

With another synchronized lever pulling, the computer chimed the message _Dark Energy on Full Passage. Hazard level high. Warning: Tower energy levels at critical capacity. _

Harko changed a few more settings on the computer screen.

"It's ready. I hope this works..."

The engineer grasped the final lever, his hands clenching it tightly.

"Transmitting signal... NOW!"

With a last pull, the entire workshop began to shake in a violent earthquake. The computer messages were going crazy.

_Dark Energy at critical levels. Geothermal quantities unstable. Tectonic disturbance highly probable. Hazard level high._

All of Thar was experiencing this quake. The Main Control Tower was sending information out farther than it ever had before.

"Now what's happening?" Kaeri exclaimed.

"The Quantum core derives some of its energy from the planets heat convection... We're temporarily upsetting it."

Harko grasped the panel, trying to stay standing. He looked up at the screen, and then shouted in joy.

"It's working, the signal is being transmitted!"

He pulled up another window on the screen.

"But I have one last thing to do..."

* * *

Roku looked around the darkened theater, confused.

"What now?" Arcadia asked.

The lights all came back on. In a simultaneous instance, the cameras, the lights, and every other mechanical part of the entire massive complex flickered back into existence.

"What's going on?" Roku shouted, "Maruck, any news?"

The Scorpnak spoke through the re-powered mic on the panel before him.

_"I don't know. Something is rerouting the entire broadcast."_

"What is?"

_"I have no..."_

Maruck was interrupted by another voice. It boomed through the theater, being broadcasted from another location. Roku recognized it immediately.

_"I don't have much time... so listen. I am Harko of the New Tharians. The Grox are controlling the media of the galaxy. That is why few people have learned of the destruction of Thar, Marksul, and Phrychous. We cannot let this happen any longer. I can only guarantee this connection for 30 seconds... maybe, so try and be as quick as possible. This is to the inhabitants of the entire galaxy. Everyone now! Please, send the message out!"_

The voice disappeared.

Stekvan just looked dumbstruck.

"You're going to have to trust me now," Roku said to the Jaxxod in front of him, "Tell everyone what they need to know."

Stekvan nodded in response. Turning to face the audience, he shouted, "Every race in Aeron, hear me! The Grox are moving out! They are conquering everything! But we have hope. If we can find the Arcane Biorod, we have a chance of stopping them. It looks exactly like this staff of life." The Jaxxod raised the glowing rod of metal into the air. "But radiates a golden color, and shines with a warmth unheard of. It is somewhere in this galaxy, hidden. Everyone in Aeron must collaborate to find it... Please, for the sake of all creation!"

The Jaxxod stepped out of the way, and allowed Roku to step forward onto the podium.

The Tharian called out, "The Grox have already destroyed a great deal of this galaxy. Phrychous has been destroyed, and the Amahani Empire obliterated. The galaxy is falling apart, and if we do not make our stand now... we will be completely consumed by the flame of the false god."

* * *

_Far away... in the Sol system..._

"President!" an official shouted, marching into the oval office with a great stride, "It's him again."

"Who?"

"The one calling himself Roku... you must see."

The official pulled out a remote, pointing it at the wall to the left. A panel slid forward and then to the left, revealing a rather large television installed into the wall. The moment it turned on, the form of the alien they had seen before materialized on the screen.

"It's on every channel sir," the official said, "In every country across the planet."

"What is it?"

"Watch, sir."

_"People of Aeron,"_ Roku said, _"The Grox will attempt to attack Sol III again. Protect it at ALL costs. We are not sure why the Grox desire the planet to the extent that we do... but if they desired it destroyed, then we must stop them."_

"Amazing..." the president said.

"What now?" the official asked.

"We contact the rest of the world leaders. We need to use the accumulated technology. Prime everything, and prepare all weapons for attack. We might have a battle on our hands... a fight for the entire planet."

"Of course, sir."

* * *

"What is the meaning of this!" the Grand Master shouted, getting out of his throne and moving towards the large holographic screen, "I ordered a block of the Akros network!"

"I... I... I don't know, my lord," Civet stuttered, "It makes no sense."

"Track the signal, now!"

"Yes, my lord."

Civet pressed a few buttons on his cybernetic arm, and then spoke into a radio. "Any news on signal broadcast point?"

_"Yes, Commander Civet. Signal is breaking through our blocking network and being rerouted from Thar to the rest of the galaxy. Scans show the program change came under registered user 'Harko.'"_

"Harko..." the Grand Master muttered, "That bird will suffer forever in the hollow of darkness. Find him, now!"

"Yes, Grand Master," Civet said, turning from the throne room and dashing out the door.

* * *

"We need to move," Harko said, moving away from the computer station, and towards another pile of spare parts, "They'll be onto us any second now."

"But what do we do? We don't have any weap..."

Just before Kaeri finished her sentence, she caught something that Harko threw at her. It was a small laser device basic shape of a gun.

"Dark Energy gun, fires exotic particles at anything you shoot at."

"How did you..."

"You didn't think I was stupid enough to just sit around and _only _do the Grox's bidding once I hacked the camera system? No, I made this as well."

Kaeri smiled and primed the gun.

Seconds later, two Dronox guards came bursting through the doorway, their own pulse cannons pointing in the direction of Kaeri and Harko.

"Under the command of the Grand Master," one of them said in their strangely mechanical voice, "You will be escorted with us right now."

"Will we?"

Kaeri and Harko fired upon the two soldiers. In an explosion of energy, their purple bodies were disintegrated on the spot, leaving nothing but a dust cloud where they had stood before.

"Holy Spode!" Kaeri exclaimed, "That's really effective!"

"Come on!" Harko shouted, taking off through the now open door.

They sprinted through into a complex of Tharian hallways. They turned corners at least once every three seconds, desperately trying to find a way out of the building they had been placed in. They had no reference points as to their location, and the continuing earthquake made everything more difficult. It had calmed down, but was continuing to prove annoying in their search for an exit.

"We need to see where we are!" Harko shouted.

"Let's try and get to the roof," Kaeri responded.

"Great idea."

The two Tharians found a nearby elevator, cramming themselves into it. Harko slammed down on the top floor button, and the advanced elevator rocketed to the top of whatever building they were in.

"Oh my..." Harko said, as the elevator came to a halt at the building roof. They stepped out of the elevator, and moved across the metallic surface beneath them.

They were in a large converted residential tower on the edge of Alyxia, the Tharian capital. They moved to the edge of the roof, looking down towards the distant ground. The residential building was so tall, that the ground in the distance was vague and hard to make out, especially due to the foggy weather. The Main Control tower, visible from afar, disappeared into cloud cover. The immense building was now surrounded by 14 large spire-like green buildings that jutted up from the ground. From 5 of them, huge amounts of electrical energy was arcing into the top of the citadel, powering their galactic broadcast.

"Enjoying the view?" came a sadistically familiar voice.

The two Tharians spun around to the sight of the corrupted Artlen, Veara.

"Why are you here?" Harko asked.

"Orders," she responded, "Both of your are charged with direct disobeying of the Grand Master's wishes." The Artlen had a pulse cannon in her hands, with the deadly barrel pointing towards the two Tharians. She pressed down on the button twice, using her acute sense to pinpoint her targets. Both Kaeri and Harko's dark energy guns were knocked out of their hands, falling over the edge of the building and down to the surface. They were powerless now.

"Really?" Harko said, taking a few steps forward away the edge of the building, "Do you really believe everything the Grand Master forces you to?"

"It _is_ the truth!"

"See... now that's not you talking. That's the Grand Master. And whatever personality is deep down in there, I know it still exists. A lonely Artlen, with hopes and dreams. Hopes of a life, and of a family. Hopes of becoming a regular citizen of her planet. Deep down in their, under layers of brainwashing, war, and insanity, is the real you. Tell me you can see it! I know the real Veara is there somewhere!"

"And that's where your wrong."

"Well then... you can kill me. For I have brought your destruction. The entire galaxy knows now. The entire story is in their hands, and they will fight to stop the horrors you have brought."

"Once again you stand correction. You, and even that Jaxxod, only know the beginning of the story. The Tesseract is a mystery that none of you, or even those seemingly un-killable captains, have solved... and you never will."

She pointed the gun back at Harko and Kaeri.

"Thanks for the permission by the way," she continued, "But I don't need you dead. You are vital to the continued production of the required energy. You will be placed in a more secure facility. But your friend here..."

Veara pulled down on the trigger, causing a blast of exotic particles to fly out of the barrel. It flew through the air, colliding with Kaeri's chest. Her face quickly changed to an expression of fear and confusion.

"NO!" Harko shouted.

The female Tharian closed her eyes and stumbling from the force and shock. The blast had paralyzed her body completely. She was incapable of moving, and deep within her, she knew what was to come.

And then the worst happened... she fell backwards off the side of the building. Her body descended for what seemed like forever, falling along the edge of the tower.

"You didn't have to... You... No..." Harko muttered, barely able to comprehend what just happened.

"She was unnecessary," Veara responded, "But you are."

An energy prison erupted into existence, enclosing a glowing translucent bubble around Harko. He had is head down in disbelief.

"You will be taken to Kimplemvora Prison. You will continue your work there from a secure computer network. Is this clear?" Veara said, smiling.

Harko didn't respond. He simply stared at the metal surface beneath him, his emotions running wild. _No more, _he though, _The moment I get the chance, Veara will be killed, along with the rest of the Grox._ "Yes," he responded.

Harko couldn't contain himself any longer, as tears began to fall from his eyes.

* * *

_Hours later..._

Stekvan, Roku, and the gang moved back out to the Akros docking bay, Stekvan's circular ship hovering above them.

"That was a success," Maruck said, enthusiastically, "Better than we could have dreamed."

"It really was," Arcadia added, "Hopefully we'll have the backing of the rest of the galaxy in battle, as opposed to just the six of us trying to dash around the galaxy on our own."

"Very true," Roku said.

"Oh, Roku, you never explained. Who was that? You know, that Tharian that restarted the broadcast?"

"A friend of mine. I can only hope that he is safe now. He must have risked a lot to send us that message. Which very easily leads me to the next topic."

"Which is?..."

"The planet we'll be going to next."

Stekvan smiled. "I knew it would come to this. But I see what you're saying Roku. It's a necessary trip."

"Where?" Aster asked, looking between Stekvan and Roku in confusion.

"The place where the recent series of destructive events started."

"And where's _that?_" Chase continued to ask.

"Thar."

* * *

_The one thing that makes me update faster than anything else is REVIEWS. The more reviews I get, the more likely I am to update sooner. So... go right ahead! I'd very much appreciate it. For a while, this story held the record for the highest number of reviews in the Spore Archive... until a certain other romance story caught popularity like wildfire. Why is it that romance stories do that? (rhetorical question, btw) Let's see how many reviews we can get for this chapter._

_What are you waiting for... the buttons right below this!_


	28. Ruins of Thar

_Thank you everyone for sticking with this story! I can't possibly express how happy I am that it's getting the praise that it is. I'm starting to write the next chapter... now. It's summer now, and exams are finally over, so I'll try my hardest not to take a whole month to write a chapter!_

_Enjoy! FYI, this chapter is epic._

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**28:** RUINS OF THAR

* * *

_"The physical form is weak. We can be ravaged by disease, broken in an accident, drowned in a bowl of water. Our bodies can betray us with cancer or organ failure. If we survive a life of accidents, our bodies break down and kill us." -Stones of Force (Vol. 3)_

* * *

"Sir, you have a visitor!"

The Commander spun around.

"Who is it this time?"

The Starlen official who had brought the message took a few steps to the right, leaving no obstruction in front of the door. "It's her. The one you decommissioned."

"I don't understand..."

"You will."

The doors burst open, and in came Aster.

She was confident, striding in with a look of power and dignity. Aster smiled as she looked at the Starlen behind the long and ornate desk.

"Commander Niro," Aster said, as if it had been a long time since they'd last met, "It's such a pleasure to finally talk to you without being ridiculed all the way here."

"Aster, explain yourself now," Niro stated firmly.

"I have a message for you."

Aster pulled out a small triangular computer chip, throwing it forward onto the desk. It slid across the polished wood, sliding to a halt just before the commander's hand. Niro picked it up with his front talon-like hand. Hesitantly, he placed it into the chip receptacle on the underside of the desk.

"This better be important," Niro said.

A holographic image materialized above the desk. The projection shifted and faded as the picture was adjusted for optimal viewing. When the loading was complete, the form of Captain Roku was unmistakable.

Through the recorded hologram, he spoke, _"This is Captain Roku Azero of the High New Tharian Fleet, and secondary attack planner of the Chimera Alliance. I hereby request that Aster Saphiren be fully reinstated into the upper ranks of the Starlen fleet, not just as a captain, but as the high general of the entire Starlen military."_

"What?" Niro exclaimed.

"It's just a recording..." Aster said, "He can't hear you."

Niro was in no mood for that.

Roku continued, _"You must have seen our broadcast. We are forming a galactic army. The power of everyone in Aeron... a force that might be powerful enough to bring down the Grox. This is one of the steps we are taking. Aster will be the commander of this galactic army. She will lead Aeron to victory."_

Niro was just shocked.

_"This message is authenticated with a triple helix code. There is no way it was faked. I fully give my consent towards this plan of action. This is also supported by Captain Arcadia of the Chimera, and the entire Akros Board of Alliances. You can contact them if you want... this is the truth. Aster will be the High General of Aeron."_

Roku smiled, and the hologram faded away.

"Impossible," Niro said, lowering his head.

"Are you all right?" the official in the back of the room asked.

"I'm fine... I can do nothing to change this. General Aster, it looks like I'm under your command now."

"I guess so."

"But... may I ask..."

"Anything."

"Where _is_ Roku right now?"

Aster smiled.

"In the shining Pyles system... on the third planet. I assure you, he's fighting for all of us."

"Pyles... you don't mean..."

"Good Day, Niro," Aster said, turning and walking out of the Commander's office.

* * *

_Proximity Alert. Vessel hyperspace tunnel moving through highly controlled Groxian Space. Alternate route highly suggested._

"Dang it! I thought I fixed that!" Stekvan shouted, running wildly around to the other side of the control panel. He spun a small dial and then typed a few things on a holographic keyboard.

_Repeat. Proximity Alert: Pyles System is dangerously overrun with Groxian Vessels... sug...g...g...es...s...s... t... t... Messages Terminated._

"There!" Stekvan exclaimed, "Fixed the problem."

"No you didn't," Roku stated, stepping towards the Jaxxod, "You just turned _off_ the announcer."

"And... now we don't have to listen to the annoying voice any more. Once again, problem solved."

Roku just rolled his eyes and took a step back.

They were in Stekvan's Spaceship, which he had recently explained was called the '_Cerion_.' It looked exactly as it had in the memory that Roku had witnessed. A central column with a circular set of interface panels. This ship itself wasn't much larger than the Tharak, but Roku could tell, just by examining the architecture, that this vessel was more advanced.

Solid platinum in different colors composed much of the floor, the ceiling., and the different columns around the ship. There were multiple chairs with force field harnesses that could swivel and lock into place. Roku couldn't help but notice that none of them were sitting in any of the chairs.

Behind Roku stood Chase, Maruck, and Arcadia, each also taking in the strange design of the ship.

Chase was the most dumbfounded of them all.

"This ship is just... amazing. It's the same size of the Tharak, and yet it can rocket through the galaxy almost instantaneously. Not to mention the fact that, regardless of the speed were moving at... we're still standing here."

"That would be the inertia dampeners," Stekvan explained, "Along with the artificial gravity simulators. They create a completely isolated environment inside the ship immune from the way the laws of physics from the outside world that would normally affect us."

"That's awesome..." Chase said, "It's almost like the TARDIS."

"The what?..." Stekvan asked, still piloting the Cerion.

"Doctor Who?"

Stekvan just shook his head in confusion.

"It's an Earth thing..." Roku explained, "Besides the point. Anyway, if I knew anything about those scanners... then I'd say were almost there."

"Very true."

Arcadia took a step forward.

"I still don't get how you could pilot this thing..." Arcadia pointed out, "You can't even _see_ out of the ship."

"Oh yeah, about that..."

Stekvan pulled down on a large lever on the panel. A chime resonated through the ship as the walls around them began to slide away. While the ceiling and floor remained where they were, the cylindrical sides of the Cerion were moving upwards, disappearing into the ships hull. In their place was a thick layer of Jaxxod glass, filled with crystalline kronon energy.

"What..." Maruck said, "It's like the front view window of a normal ship, except its on all sides..."

"Yep," Stekvan said, "And... its tinted using reverberated kronon... making it so we can see out..."

"But other ships can't see in..." Maruck finished.

"Exactly. To anyone outside of the Cerion. The walls would look like they hadn't even changed. It would appear completely intact."

"Awesome," Chase said.

The four captains took in the view around them. Past the orange-ish metal of the Cerion's hull was the shimmering energy of a hyperspace tunnel. Purple and blue energy shifting and warping through an endless void.

"Ok..." Stekvan said, "It's time to show you guys how I really pilot this thing."

"What do you mean... _really_ pilot?" Roku asked, facing the Jaxxod again.

"Oh come on, you didn't actually think I would use this flimsy little panel to control it all the time? That's just for simple hyperspace tunneling."

"_Simple?_"

"Yeah. The real controls are in here..."

The Jaxxod grabbed a knob on the panel and threw it to the highest position. The computerized voice responded immediately.

_Preparing Full Control Systems. Opening Central Link Chamber._

The interface panel and central column split in two. Each half slid slowly in opposite directions. It quickly became apparent that the central column was hollow, containing a large pillar of translucent blue energy. It twisted in a double helix, pulsing like the beat of a heart.

"What..." Maruck said.

"Neural interface," Stekvan explained, stepping into the energy with ease, "Designed to detect my thoughts and will."

Roku stepped around the panel to observe Stekvan.

"Really?"

"Completely," the Jaxxod said, placing his arms and legs into clamping socket-like devices, "I'll have more control over this ship than anyone else in this galaxy has ever had for a couple hundred billion years."

Roku smiled.

"Good luck."

"Well I should be saying the same to you."

"Huh?"

"The windows aren't just view tinted, Tharian. You can launch attacks through them as well. The four of you need to use your Alminar abilities to attack approaching enemy vessels, but the good news is... none of them will be able to see you."

"Seriously?"

"Of course. I'll see you guys in a few minutes... when we're on the surface of the New Tharian Homeworld."

The interface panel began to close around the Jaxxod captain. In his last moments of visibility, he said, with a smile on his face, "Here goes nothing."

The pillar closed, and another chime sounded through the ship. This one was of a lower tone, and followed by the computer's voice.

_Cerion entering full combat mode. Hyperspace tunnel dropping._

The lights all around them became a prominent red, lighting up the ship in a drastically different way. Not even seconds later, the ship dropped out of the hyperspace tunnel. The energy ripped apart in a violent vibration that shook the entire ship.

They were no longer in hyperspace, the were blazing through the Pyles system, with constellations in the distance shooting by in a blur. Their speed was slowing, and within a few more seconds, they could make out the ships destination. The four captains were taken aback.

Before them was a massive fleet of Grox spacecrafts. Motherships, raider vessels, battle-cruisers, flagships, and entire armadas were flying before them. None of them appeared to be going anywhere... they were just hovering ominously in the vacuum of space. It was if they were guarding something, and it was immediately clear what that something was.

Thar.

The planet was slowly drifting in the distance. It was perfectly round, with continents of color ranging from brown to orange to green. Clouds drifted across the atmosphere, blurring the organized lights of the many cities on the planets surface. The lights were organized like a multitude of spider webs, with a large central cluster of lights merging together on the side of the planet facing them. It was stunning and beautiful.

A solitary moon was orbiting the planet as well. Surprisingly, lights littered the gray and white surface of it as well.

The ships intercom suddenly went up. _"Ok, prepare for descent," _Stekvan said over the ship's speakers, _"This is going to be a bumpy ride."_

The Cerion began to accelerate again, blasting them forward through the network of Grox vessels. Spacecraft after spacecraft flew past their view window like specs of dust. Stekvan was ignoring all of them. He wanted to get to the destination with as little fighting as possible.

But of course... the Grox are fighting machines.

Within 20 seconds of their descent, they had 4 Grox raider vessels on their tail, chasing them through the Pyles system.

"Dangit... here we go," Maruck said, moving towards the rear of the ship, and looking out at the approaching crafts.

One of them primed an anti-matter beam, and before they could stop it, it fired upon the Cerion. It impacted the shield, giving the velocity of the entire ship a bit of a kick, and disorienting the four unsecured passengers.

_"This would be the time when you guys attack!" _Stekvan commanded again, _"I can't control everything while trying to pilot this ship through a field of increasingly deadly warships!"_

"He's right," Arcadia said, dashing forwards, "Now's the time to fight back!" He held out one of his arms in the direction of the raider vessel, closing his fingers tightly, making a fist.

A large amount of ice built up inside the warships energy cannon. The Chimera smiled at the success. Oblivious, the Grox fired the anti-matter cannon again, only to have a nasty backfire. The energy exploded on the ice, causing the dangerous exotic particles to explode all over the raider vessel. The engines went out, and the craft spiraled off to the right.

"Yeah! One down, 3 to go!" Chase shouted.

"You might want to re-think that..." Maruck said, pointing at further behind them.

All of the flagships were taking notice of the Jaxxod vessel. They knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who the ship belonged to, and they were stopping at nothing to destroy it. More and more raider vessels were streaming out of the many flagships, and while a large majority of them were far away... it still proved to be incredibly foreboding. It was one small ship, versus an entire Grox armada.

"How... what?" Chase said, exasperated.

"We have _no time to waste!_" Roku shouted, running in to the rear of the ship as well. He threw out his arms, and crossed them, forming a large 'X' in mid air. The result was instantaneous.

The rear thrusters on the closest two Grox vessels spun wildly in opposite directions, sending both spacecrafts on a dangerous collision course with each other. The two ships impacted in a bright cascade of fire and shrapnel, shaking the Cerion even more.

"Why aren't you doing anything Chase?" Maruck exclaimed, looking over at the human.

"Fire can't burn in the vacuum of space, Maruck!" Chase retaliated, "And shouldn't I be asking _you _the same question!"

_"Enough bickering!" _Stekvan shouted through the speakers, _"We're passing over a flagship, and it's covered in electron cannons! Prepare yourselves!"_

What the Jaxxod said was true. Below their vessel now was a massive Grox command ship, large enough that it appeared, from their perspective, as a giant sheet of metal extending in all directions. Two very large turrets were rising from the flagship below them, pointing their powerful energy cannons in the direction of the Cerion.

They fired seconds later, streams of blue colored energy shooting towards their position.

"Not today!" Maruck shouted, taking Roku's place. From each of his hands, he arced large amounts of his own electron energy towards the opposing beams. All four of them collided, the right beam with the electricity from Maruck's right hand, and the left beam with the electricity from Mauck's left hand.

Maruck was sweating as he tried to hold the electron energy back, mustering all of his power to pull off this almost impossible feat. The electrical output from the flagship was at least 10 times more powerful than Maruck's own Alminar ability.

"No... stay back!" Maruck exclaimed. Despite the Cerion's constant movement, the beams were getting steadily closer.

"Alright... you asked for it!" Maruck threw his hands together in a clapping motion. His two beams moved together into one, causing the opposing beams to magnetically attract and follow the same motion.

Pure Chaos. The energy from all four electron beams impacted at the same point, releasing a shock wave of pure beta radiation. Bright light obscured everyone's vision.

When it faded, both beams were gone, and they were a safe distance from the flagship.

_"Excellent work Maruck!" _Stekvan said, _"We're now entering Thar's atmosphere. Hold tight, we're almost there..."_

Chase looked behind them. The Cerion was surprisingly close to Thar at this point. The lights from the many cities were even more prominent, and the clouds drifting lazily through the atmosphere were stunningly beautiful. As they moved further, a thin layer of fire was building up along the Cerion's shield.

"That's my queue," Chase said, turning back to face the cluster of Grox vessels chasing them. They were far enough away that the flagships gave up on sending more vessels. The vessels before them now were the remainder of the force that was chasing them. In a way, that was scary... because if the space defense had given up... they must know that the defense on the surface is just as... if not _more_ comparable.

The enemy ships were also cutting through a build-up of atmospheric fire.

"Perfect..." Chase said.

The human brought his own arms up, and extended his palms towards the nearest two. He closed his hands in a fist, just as Arcadia had. Chase smiled as his plan came to a glorious success. He was manipulating the atmospheric fire, causing it to bend and engulf the the two nearest raider vessels.

With his own alminar ability, he amplified the strength of the flames to at least 3 times their normal potency. No longer were they just streaks along the edge of the Groxian shields, they were full on columns of fire, spreading like an infection towards all sides of the spacecrafts.

The shields were weakening, Chase could tell. The raider vessels were slowly swerving out of control, until suddenly...

BOOM.

The vessels collapsed in an explosion of fire. No trace of the ships remained. Thar's atmosphere had consumed the ships almost instantaneously. As the Cerion continued to fly further into the atmosphere, the pillars of fire from the destroyed ships drifted slowly away.

"See Maruck!" Chase exclaimed, "I do awesome stuff _just fine._"

The Scorpnak just rolled his eyes.

"3 more incoming!" Roku said.

"Great..."

The next three Grox crafts wasted no time in their assault. The moment they were within range, the enemy ships opened fire, sending a flurry of archon bullets in their direction. The tiny yet incredibly powerful shards of metal impacted the Cerion's shield like a downpour of rain.

_"Guys! I can't take this kind of fire! You need to do something!" _Stekvan commanded.

"Ah! I'm so stupid!" Arcadia shouted.

"What?" Roku said, confused.

"My ability could make this _so much easier_."

The Chimera extended his arms, and within seconds, formed a solid wall of ice all along the back end of the Cerion. Their vision was now blurred by a 3 foot thick layer of ice.

"What are you trying to do...?"

"Chase slowly use your fire ability to melt the tiny layer connecting it to the ship..."

"Why?"

"Just trust me."

The human looked at the layer of ice and concentrated. He release a single column of flames from his palm, allowing it to slowly heat up the Jaxxod glass on the back of the ship. Droplets of water poured down the obscured view window as the layer touching the outside of the ship began to melt. It happened moments later. The thick layer of ice broke off from the ship, and before long, it lost the Cerion's inertia, dropping backwards, and flying right towards the enemy ships.

"Awesome," Roku said.

Taken completely by surprise, the Grox crafts smashed right into the layer of ice. The captains watched as the ice wall was disintegrated and evaporated from the heat of 5 exploding raider vessels.

"Complete success," Arcadia stated, taking a step back.

_"We're now within the bottom level of Thar's atmosphere," _Stekvan said, _"We're almost to Alyxia. Just a little bit longer..."_

Below them, a vast expanse of crystal blue water shimmered as they passed near it. They were below the lowest cloud layer, very close to the surface.

There were seven remaining Grox raider vessels that had followed them through the atmosphere. Each of them armed to the teeth and ready to destroy their aircraft.

"Everyone... all at once!" Roku ordered.

The four captains took their positions. Arcadia covered the viewscreens of two of the raider vessels in ice, while Roku spun the orientation of the propulsion rockets out of control.

Two more Groxian vessels spun off to the side, completely without control over their engines. But of course, with the two that were destroyed, two more were waiting right behind them.

"Give me a break," Maruck exclaimed, realizing that he was going to have to do work as well.

The scorpnak jumped forward, preparing for another attack.

One of the remaining raider vessels accelerated, getting dangerously close to the Cerion.

Without warning, it launched a missile, one that appeared to constructed completely out of unbreakable Groxian metal.

"Oh snap..." Chase said, staring at the approaching object.

The Cerion swirved quickly to the right, trying to dodge the approaching weapon.

The unexpected happened. As the spacecraft swerved at a drastic, and assumingly unpredictable angle, the missile followed, somehow attracted to their ship.

_"It's a homing missile!" _Stekvan said, _"There's nothing I can do to shake it! You're going to have to stop it somehow!"_

Maruck turned back to face the approaching rocket, and realized what needed to be done. He raised his arms, and arced as much electricity as he could muster, right into the core of the homing missile.

"What are you doing?" Chase shouted.

"Homing missiles are controlled by a very simple lock-on system that derivatives the base value of..."

"Simple?"

"Yeah... never mind. The point is, if I can reverse the polarity of the missile..."

"Reverse the polarity... come on, that only works in those cheesy Sci-Fi shows. Of all the cliche things to say..."

Right in the middle of Chase's monologue, the homing missile swerved, its target drastically changed. Instead of heading for the Cerion, it was heading for the _Grox _raider vessel.

The missile impacted, sending the enemy craft into a debris-filled spiral towards the ocean water below.

The remaining four raider vessels were chasing them with relentless determination.

"Why can't they just... ya' know... give up," Chase stated, quite annoyed, "I mean seriously... how many times have we almost died within the last 4 minutes!"

_"We're entering Alyxia city limits. Prepare... I have a feeling this could get really rough..."_

The four captains realized that the raider vessels were now backing off. They were decelerating, no longer attempting to wipe the Cerion out of the sky.

"What..." Roku said, confused, "Why...?"

"Oh my Spode..." Maruck said, stepping towards the view window, "It's... it's... the city of Alyxia..."

"Yes it is..." Roku said, "We're still in a battle!"

"But just look..." Maruck said, gesturing to Chase.

Chase's mouth dropped on the spot.

Towers stretching higher than any planet they had been on so far. The light from the sun was bouncing off the shimmering metallic buildings in a way that made the entire city just... beautiful.

The two captains would have taken in more of the city, had they not been severely interrupted.

All of the ship's system shut down at the same time.

The lights went black. The engines shut off. The inertia dampeners failed. All at once.

"What the?" Arcadia exclaimed.

"Was that an EMP?" Maruck shouted.

_"Whatever that was... it was 10 million times more powerful than a regular EMP... that blasted through our shield instantly!"_

The Cerion was now in drifting mode. The only function that remained was basic gravity reducers, the portion of the ship that kept them in the air.

But that was failing as well. They were rocketing towards the surface of Thar at a dangerous speed.

"Stekvan!" Roku shouted, "I know you have the skill to land this ship safely... but I have a request."

_"What?"_

"Don't land it in the city. If you do, whatever took down our systems will be witness to where we landed!"

_"Even if we land outside of the city... they'll see us. How is this idea any better?"_

"Because we're going to jettison ourselves."

_"WHAT?" _ everyone else shouted in unison.

"Stekvan, pilot the Cerion towards the edge of the city, and then use the ships beaming teleport to move us right outside of the ship," Roku commanded.

_"You're sure about this, Roku?" _Stekvan questioned.

"What choice do we have?"

A few moments later, Stekvan responded. _"I'm ready. We're just beyond the edge of the central Alyxia complex. Priming teleport..."_

Arcadia walked up behind Roku. "What are you trying to do?"

"We're going to have to get into the city one way or another. This way, we actually have a chance to be disguised."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain when we get to the surface. Stekvan, we're ready for jettisoning. Wow... I never thought I'd say that before."

_"Copy that... Teleporting... NOW!"_

A bright light obscured everyone's vision, and before they could react, before they even had time to blink, their spacial position was changed.

They were falling.

Falling.

Faster and faster.

The wide expanse of the Tharian sky stretched out all around them. Turning onto his back, Chase saw the Cerion shoot off into the distance, completely without a pilot.

Around the human was the rest of the crew: Arcadia, Roku, Maruck, and even Stekvan.

All of them were falling towards the surface of Thar.

"What were we trying to accomplish here?" Chase shouted, trying to be heard over the roar of wind all around them.

As the five captains reached terminal velocity, the uncomfortable zero-g feeling subsided.

"Remember!" Arcadia shouted, "before we hit the ground, use your glider pack to slow your descent. We don't want any of you to hit the ground and squish yourselves into a pile of... yeah."

"Copy that."

They continued to fall, the distant ground appearing closer and closer. Below them was a large sloping hill. It was far less urbanized then the main portion of the New Tharian capital, but blotches of civilization were prevalent in different areas across the hills.

Chase tilted his head up to see the main city. He couldn't believe how amazing it looked. Hundreds of towers all in perfect formation. And right in the center was something even more ridiculous. A massive tower, stretching all the way into the sky. It was at least 3 times taller than the rest of the buildings, a single spire in the center of the most glorious city Chase had ever laid eyes on.

He almost got too caught in the moment.

"Deploy your glider packs... NOW!" Arcadia shouted.

The other four captains, save for Roku, complied, activating the propulsion devices strapped to their backs. Instantly, their decent speed was cut in two.

_Nifty technology, _Chase thought.

The human reached for his own glider pack control, pressing down on the button on his wrist.

Nothing happened.

He pressed it again.

Still nothing.

"No.. no... NO!" Chase exclaimed.

Roku noticed the Human's struggle.

"Oh... Chase..." Roku said, rolling his eyes.

The Tharian tucked in his wings and dived, shooting past Arcadia, Maruck, and Stekvan.

Chase was getting dangerously close to the surface, which was looking more and more like a big giant flat plane of death.

"Come on... come on!" Chase exclaimed, pressing the button over and over again.

Right when he was about to give up hope, something came flying out of nowhere, grabbing hold of him. Completely surprised, Chase looked up to see Roku holding him around the waist.

The Tharian took no hesitation in extending his wings. Chase continued to take deep breaths of anxiety as he and Roku slowly glided to the surface of the planet. It wasn't until they touched down on the ground did Chase realize just how close of a call that had been. They probably weren't even 50 feet up when Roku grabbed him.

"For future reference," Roku said, holding up Chase's arm and pointing towards the controller on his wrist, "I set the glider pack for control button 3. I told you that 15 times."

"Oh yeah..."

"Yeah..."

Stekvan, Maruck, and Arcadia came to a gliding halt behind them, their glider packs giving them unbelievable grace in their landings.

"So..." Maruck said, "Where are we?"

Looking around, the five of them saw long curving hills in one direction, and a thin forest in the other. The grass was a vibrant shade of green... similar to earth and yet noticeably alien.

"The Marks memorial park. Its just beyond the main city, yet still within the large network of urban sprawl that surrounds the Main Control Tower," Roku explained.

"And that's that giant building in the center of the city I'm guessing..."

"You'd be correct."

"Wait... I thought you said you'd take us out of the city?" Arcadia asked, looking over at Stekan.

"Well... I couldn't really fully accomplish that. The Cerion was going down quite fast. This was the closest safe place to jettison that I could find. No life signs in this entire park... so here we are."

"Speaking of which..." Chase said, "Your ship?"

"Oh yes, it'll crash land somewhere far off, the Grox we'll think we're dead... blah blah blah... all the while, the Cerion will slowly repair itself. But... that's not the problem right now."

"And what is?"

"Right now we need to focus on how we're going to get into the main portion of Alyxia without getting caught."

"Yes, that reminds me..." Roku said, "Follow me."

The Tharian took off, with the rest of his crew in tow. They walked through the thin layer of forest trees, coming out onto a small clearing before a large lake. The water was perfectly still across the entire body of water. It was strangely surreal. Beyond that was a perfect view of the capital city. All of the towers lined up, producing a stunning skyline.

But then they noticed what they had been missing before.

In the Cerion, they had been unable to get a good look at the city. They had just assumed its perfect majesty... but now that they were getting to look at it more, they were taken aback.

While a good portion of the towers remained intact, almost all of them were damaged in some way. Some had smoke coming out of them. Some were falling over onto other towers. Many of them had a large amount of the metallic plating removed, revealing the thick grid like skeleton of the building. The city looked like it had suffered a powerful natural disaster, one that had no mercy in its destruction. The Main Control Tower appeared intact, standing tall in the midst of complete ruin.

"What happened?" Maruck questioned.

"The Grox started dropping anti-matter bombs all over the city. But... the buildings are reinforced with incredibly resilient Tritium metal. It absorbed most of the blast energy. Unprotected buildings, like the workshop I was in, would have just been completely obliterated. I left before I could view the damage... but my guess is that the Grox continued to bombard the city. Over time, the structures would have weakened, some tipping, some tearing, and some collapsing. Honestly, this city is better looking than I thought it would be."

"Then, why is this park area mostly preserved?"

"The plants here are specially designed to grow to their exact perfect height with incredible speed. Even if they were incinerated, they would have grown back."

"That's... cool."

"Yes, and the buildings have the same function. The only reason the city is still standing _at all_ is thanks to their reconstruction ability. But..."

"But what?"

"Anyone outside during the bombardment would have been killed on the spot. Once we actually get to the city, we'll be able to view the damage."

"Why though? Why didn't the Grox just destroy the entire planet. And if they just wanted the Tesseract, why didn't they just leave?"

"I don't think they just wanted the Tesseract... and that's what we're here for. We need to infiltrate that city and reach the tower, learning as much information as we can."

"That doesn't seem like a very good reason to risk our lives..." Chase asked.

"We're here not just to learn information, but because the Tesseract _is here_," Stekvan explained, "We knew it from the start. I can sense it, and so can Roku, I'm assuming. We don't know much about what the Grand Master plans to do with it, but we do know that if we can take it, he'll be without his greatest asset."

"But if the Tesseract is here..." Arcadia began.

"So is the Grand Master, yes," Roku finished, "Most likely at the top of the citadel."

"Citadel?"

"Its just Tharian slang. The tower has many names. Main Control Tower. Main Command Tower. Citadel. Just... The Tower. Tons of stuff... its a rather large part of the city, if you didn't notice."

"Obviously. So... I'm assuming you guys have a plan," Arcadia said, looking at Roku and Stekvan.

"Indeed we do," Stekvan responded, stepping forward. He held out five small pins, each glowing with a strange energy. "These are Morphic Inducers... highly advanced Jaxxod technology. Temporarily rewrites your entire genetic makeup, while storing your original bio-signature in its memory. We're going to use them to become New Tharians."

"Why can't we just become Grox?" Arcadia asked.

"We would be without cybernetics. The Grox would tell the difference. As New Tharians though, we can blend in. Roku is going to have to use one as well, as I'm very sure the Grox will recognize him."

"Oh yes they would."

The four other captains reached out and grabbed one of the inducer pins, holding it awkwardly. They arranged themselves in a circle.

"What do we do?" Maruck asked.

"Pin the inducers to your shoulder. By the way... I should warn you, it's probably gonna hurt."

"Thanks for warning us," Chase said.

"On my count... 3... 2... 1... now!"

The five of them pinned the inducers to their skin. The sharp needles dug deep into their shoulders, clamping to them through some strange advanced magnetism. They bent over in pain, the feeling of a knife jabbing into them.

A shifting green energy began to build up around the five captains. Roku's facial features began to change, rendering the original Roku unrecognizable.

That was the simplest change.

The other four captains doubled over in great pain as feathers grew from all of their limbs. Maruck's scorpion tail disappeared. Stekvan's strangely feline groxian face morphed into a more humanoid one. Arcadia's second set of arms shifted to his back and warped into a pair of wings. Roku watched in amazement as pairs of wings sprouted out of the backs of his other three comrades. Feathers covered the new wings. All of them fell backwards as their feet morphed into talons, with sharp claws sliding outwards. When their facial features had settled, they slowly got to their feet... um... talons.

Before Roku, was four more New Tharians.

"This is really weird..." Roku said.

"You're telling me..." Chase said, moving his wings back and forth, the look of a four year old on his face. "Ok... this is cool."

"Wait... how did our clothes change?" Arcadia asked, noticing that they were all now wearing a simple uniform: thin gray pants, made out of some kind of cloth, along with a matching shirt that was equally as bland.

"The morpher defaults to the most common attire within a 400 mile radius. This must be what the Grox are forcing the Tharians to wear," Stekvan explained, still trying to stay balanced on his new talon appendages, "All of our weapons are stored in our other form. When we switch back, we'll get all of our battle gear."

"Well, now that we're all incognito, I think its time to go sneak into the city. How about you guys?"

"Let's do it," Maruck said, moving forward. While they were all in different forms, it was still somewhat easy for the captains to tell each other apart, mostly due to them listening to the other captains voice. "It's weird though," Maruck continued, "I've always wondered how it would be to control wings coming out of my back... but now that I have them... it's like second nature."

The five _new_ New Tharians, turned towards Alyxia, and took off. Roku got about 5 feet in the air, when he noticed that the rest of his crew were lying on their backs, having just fallen over.

"Oh that's right..." Roku said, a smile on his face, "I have to teach you guys how to fly..."

Roku glided back towards the ground, helping Arcadia get back up.

In the middle of their disorganization, a light burst into existence, a good 10 feet off to the side. It was a teleport beam.

"What the..." Maruck said, looking at the light, "Who could be..."

When it faded, the forms of three Dronox soldiers were revealed.

"Oh..." Chase said, looking at the cybernetic warriors with an expression of annoyance.

Roku made a gesture to for the rest of his comrades to _not_ attack the Dronox in any way. They nodded in return.

"Do not think you can escape, New Tharians," one of the Dronox stated, his voice mechanical and hard to decipher, "Your life signs are have been attained. You will be returned to your posts in the construction of the final generator. Any attempt at violence or escape from this sentence will be immediately punishable by death." The Dronox held out a plasma gun. "Any questions?"

"Um... no, not at all," Roku responded, holding his hands in the air, "Please, by all means, take us back into the city." The Tharian captain winked at the rest of his crew.

The Dronox looked confused by the politeness in the Tharian's compliance.

"Very well then, remain still."

The three Dronox encircled the five disguised captains. The one that appeared to be the leader spoke into a small microphone on his wrist. "Beam us back to coordinates 443, 221, 17."

Another computerized voice responded with, "Command accepted."

Before any of the captains would have had a chance to run away, a white light obscured their vision, and they dematerialized on the spot.

* * *

The prison door came sliding open, its metallic hinges making their creaking noise as they locked into place.

Harko looked up. He was sitting on a small bed, with little to no comfortable items. It was just a mattress, and a frame. The walls were made of solid Tritium metal, polished and impenetrable. The Tharian engineer looked up at his visitor.

It was Veara.

Harko could barely stand the sight of the corrupted Artlen. Her smile showed nothing but malice, and her one good eye... well... it was full of fury.

"What do you want?" Harko asked, showing no care for the other creature in the room.

"The last energy spire is almost complete," Veara responded, leaning against a nearby wall, "We need you to input the energy algorithms. After all, you wouldn't want your homeworld to blow up now would you?"

Harko didn't even look back at the Artlen... showing any contempt with her presence was out of the question.

"The Grox are so powerful... why didn't they just create the generators themselves?"

Veara laughed at that one.

"You're the engineer. You tell me."

"Because the Grox are... um.. what's the word?... lazy?"

"You're lucky I'm not a Grox. No, it's because all species evolve in different ways. While the mighty Grox Empire may be greatly more advanced than the New Tharians... your control over Dark Energy remains quite stunning. We needed your help if we were to complete the Grand Master's stratagem in a timely manner. That's why we never destroyed this planet completely."

"Is that so?"

"It is so. Now, follow me, Tharian."

Harko forced himself to stand up, taking slow strides towards the Artlen.

Veara smiled and turned to walk out of the prison cell door.

Then she froze.

The Artlen didn't move a single muscle, she just remained completely stuck in mid stride.

Harko was confused. He took a few steps forward. It was as if someone had pushed a pause button on Veara's entire being.

"Veara?" Harko asked, waving a hand in front of her eyes.

The engineer took a few steps around to look at Veara's face. None of her features were moving. Her mouth and lips were still. Her feline-like nose was complete immobile.

Something wasn't right.

That's when he noticed it.

Her eye. Right in her good eye he could see something. It was vague, blurry, and hard to make out, but he could see it. Harko got closer to get a better look.

Within her eye, just beyond a translucent pupil, was small hard-to-make-out Veara. She was tied in chains of dark energy, screaming at the infinite dark. None of this made any sense. Harko was just shocked. He was witnessing something that shouldn't exist.

The Tharian remembered something from an ancient Old Tharian tribal scroll. It was funny that he even remembered it.

_"The eyes are the windows of the soul."_

Harko struggled to realize if he was truly witnessing Veara's consciousness, bound in chains of... what exactly?

The Tharian bent even closer, trying to view the scene within the Artlen's eyes.

Veara snapped back to life.

"What are you?" she exclaimed. Veara used her arms to hit Harko straight in the chest, knocking him back a good five feet. "What in the name of Agriath were you doing?"

"I should've asked you the same question!" Harko retailiated.

Veara smiled.

"It's no problem, that little matter was resolved." The Artlen turned and walked down the prison hallway. Harko got to his feet and followed her, still confused about what had just happened.

_Had he... witnessed Veara's true consciousness?_

* * *

_Hope you liked it! Remember to **Review**! ( The most important part!)_


	29. Dark Energy

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**29:** DARK ENERGY

* * *

The energy shield slid back. The tri-sealed doorway slowly dissolved. The unfathomable number of protective layers were being undone.

A human entered the cell. He was tall in stature, and wore a long white lab coat. His hair was messy, and his facial expression showed no emotion. The figure stepped all the way into the dim room, and towards the occupant at the center.

The prisoner sat firmly in a thick chair formed purely from refined kronon metal. It absorbed all energy outputs. Glowing and powerful energy bands stretched across the body of the prisoner, binding it to the chair. The bands were especially designed to hinder the strength of anything touching them. The entire room was equipped with over 10,000 phychic dampeners, all of which brought the power of even the most malevolent beings to a minimum. The prisoner was powerless.

The human stepped just in front of the prisoner, and looked down into the creature's single and powerful eye. The rest of the creature's body was purple, glowing with a shifting energy, an energy that the mortal eye could not completely comprehend. The creature had long, waving spans of purple hair as well. It's single eye burned with a distinct blue flame. The creature looked up towards the the human, a look of defeat on its face.

"You..." the creature said, "You should not have the technology you do. The inhabitants of your universe are far to strong..."

"Is that so?" the human responded, "Our universe is falling apart at the seams... the very space-time of our existence is in jeopardy."

"I know... you... you and your foolish race saw past the boundaries of your existence. Your race was able to see and take in the infinite vastness of the multiverse. You learned of the ascended ones, of the way in which we operated... and you learned how to contain us. This technology is in no way natural."

"You speak the truth," the human responded, slowly turning and walking away from the prisoner.

"Don't get too prideful," the creature stated, "You're ability to comprehend the cosmos is still a tiny speck in a sea of knowledge."

The human spun around and came back to the creature furiously, saying, "How's this for knowledge? You're an ascended deity from a far off universe, known by our language as the Karadanth Universe. It exists roughly 14 trillion mega-arc lengths away from this universe. While in your current state, you are far past things like age, gender, and names, we can extrapolate them as well. You were once a female of the species Xenophin, and a bright one at that. You ascended from the physical world and traveled from universe to universe, corrupting and taking over them, like a parasite."

The creature smiled.

"You were once known as 'Yagoda'... but now... now you are nothing but evil. It takes our entire core of kronon reflectors to keep your energy in check. You are now captured and in our hands."

"You are so foolish..." Yagoda said, a dark smile on her face, "You attempt to be so full of brilliance, and while your technology may support that idea, you are still foolish."

"How so?"

"The universe your are attempting to use... what was its name again?"

"Epsilon."

"Of course... I knew it. I knew it from the start. Your little device has done far more than you anticipated. Far... far... more."

"_'Little device'_... are you speaking of the Tesseract?"

"I've seen the damage it's caused. The horror... the suffering... the power. Your plan has been a horrible failure. In your attempt to save the multiverse... you have doomed it forevermore."

The human took a few deep breaths, and then continued, "We spent years of research before allowing the Tesseract to be launched. There can be no errors! Tell me, oh so mighty ascended one, how is it that you can travel through the hollow as if it is nothing?"

"Questions now..." Yagoda said, her voice rolling like the purr of a cat, "Funny... though. My travel is the easiest method, and yet you sit here, using massive amounts of power to rip holes in reality... in your hilarious attempt to use entanglement for the same result. The only difference is... well... I'm sure you know that for yourself."

"I came in here for a reason..." the human said, trying to keep his calm.

"Well I should hope so."

"The Tesseract is past its allotted return period. In the past, you have provided us with pieces of prophecy. Time between universes is not constant... and you of all people can see through the desync, regardless of how complex it is."

"You're asking me for help? For advice?"

"Yes," the human said, looking at Yagoda intently, "Yes I am."

"I would tell you but..."

"But what?"

"The Tesseract has... and always has been... far past its allotted return time."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough. The captains are almost to their destination. Once they finally reach this universe... they'll tell you everything you need to know. Just wait and see... just watch as the disaster unfolds."

Yagoda smiled, leaning back and closing her eye.

The human turned on the spot and walked out of the cell, a look of frustration on his face. What was Yagoda keeping from him?

* * *

"Keep moving!" a Dronox shouted, with no remorse in its voice.

There was a line of 15 tharians trudging down a long Alyxia street. All of them were held together by an extended series of metal cuffs. Four Dronox guards were stationed on either side of the line, watching the prisoners intently as they moved across the dusty street.

At the end of the line were the five captains, Roku, Maruck, Stekvan, Chase, and Arcadia, chained in that order. They were being tugged along by the movement of the rest of the tharians.

"Remind me again... why was this a good idea?" Chase asked Stekvan, leaning forward a bit so that the other captain could hear him.

"Do you see this city?" Stekvan responded, trying to keep his voice down, "It's crawling with scanners, surveillance devices, security drones, and dronox stationed at every corner. This is the only way to get to our destination, which I might add, is the single most protected part of the city."

"The Tharian Citadel..." Chase whispered back.

"Yes. Now keep looking forward and act normal."

Chase resumed his normal stance, and began to observe his surroundings.

It was horrifying to look at.

Below Chase was a solid glass walkway, through which he could see a massive and intimidating drop. They were on walkway some 30 stories up in the air. All around them were the ruined towers of Alyxia. Some were tipping over, but most suffered large amounts of decay in the structure. The nearest building had a large portion of its metallic panels missing. They could see the Tritium rebar that reinforced the entire building. It was organized in a grid like structure, with some of the metal rusted and wearing away. This metal should be nearly indestructible.

How many anti-matter bombs had hit this city?

Another building off to the left suffered the same destruction, only worse. It was leaning towards them, cracking the glass of the walkway as it did so. It was remaining standing due to the tritium supports near the bottom of its structure... but even then, if it was tipping, then those supports were wearing down. This lead Chase to question more the sturdiness of the glass bridge they were on.

"Stay in formation!" a Dronox exclaimed in an angry tone, pushing a tharian near the front of the line back into the group.

The line of tharians continued their movement towards a large circular portion of the walkway. It was clearly marked off with a dotted white line. It appeared to be slightly disconnected from the rest of the glass surface, which made no sense to Chase, as that meant nothing was holding it up.

Once all of them were on the surface, one of the Dronox exclaimed, "Release Transport. Destination, pavilion 43d."

The glass surface shook, and lifted upwards. The circular section of the walkway disconnected from the rest of it, hovering in the air through some strange technology that was completely unseen.

"How..." Arcadia muttered under his breath, "Where is the hover module?"

The piece of the pathway began to accelerate, moving through the ruins of Alyxia with alarming speed. It was a hovering transport, one of incredible efficiency.

They moved through the toppling buildings, and rusting metal. Far, far below them was the base street. No life could bee seen down there. In fact, looking in all directions, none of the captains could see any other tharians. There were quite a few security drones drifting through the skyscrapers, but not a single New Tharian. The street below was dark and hard to make out, giving Chase an amazing sense of perspective.

Then, the hovering platform began to descend. As they flew lower and lower into the massively complex Tharian capitol, a question occurred to Chase. He leaned close to Stekvan again and asked.

"Um... why is it that we didn't teleport the biorods with us? Ya' know... a Staff of Life sure would come in handy here..."

"It wouldn't matter..." Stekvan said, keeping his voice down, "This planet has thousands of infestation pods placed in a strategic grid formation. None of them would be effective."

"You've got to be kidding me..." Maruck said, hearing this conversation, and leaning in, "For so many years before this, the Grox had been practically powerless against the staves. They would cower at its sight. What has changed?"

"The Grand Master," Stekvan responded, "They have him now. I'm assuming you've had some experience with the Tesseract's amplification abilities?"

"We have."

"Yes, the Tesseract can make the archon within the infestation pods potent enough to block out the energy from the biorods."

"But... they're Staves of Life! They're the ultimate energy of just... good and stuff..." Chase said, not quite sure where he was going with this sentence, "You know... the ultimate anti of archon. Why is the staff suddenly so lame?"

"It isn't. Remember, we have the duplicates. They have served this galaxy well for billions of years... but now... now that Agriath has returned, albeit within a physical host... the strength of the Grox has been amplified ten-fold. It's why the Grox are so much more forward about their attack plans now. It's why they have more strategy and planning. It's why the New Tharians fell to them... even though they had kept up a bitter war with them for thousands of years... they fell because of the command of Agriath. Remember... remember who we are facing."

"You three!" one of the Dronox shouted, "Back in line."

The three captains rolled their eyes as they returned to their orderly positions.

Moments later, the glass platform landed on the surface of Thar, locking in place. They were in a large plaza. Around them at least 30 other New Tharians, all of them gathered around the central part of the plaza, which was a fountain spewing holographic water that glowed and shifted form. There were tharians of many different varieties, with skin and feather colors ranging from a tan-yellow color, to orange, to a definite red. There were males, females, and even a few children scattered throughout the crowd. On all sides were more incredibly tall skyscrapers.

None of them compared to what was closer now than before. The Main Command Tower was standing tall, less than a mile away. As Chase looked up at it, he couldn't take in the majesty of it. His eyes strained to see the top, that must have been miles and miles into the sky. He was just in awe.

The Dronox moved forward and disconnected the prisoners, allowing them to mingle forward into the larger crowd of New Tharians.

"You will remain here until instructed otherwise," the Dronox stated, "Now... Solider 4477521, send word to the Commander."

Another Dronox bowed and walked out of sight, turning down another long street.

Roku looked over past the plaza, and noticed something that he knew hadn't been there before. Along the next street, pointing towards Tower, was a massive spire that jutted out of the ground. It looked as if it had been forced into that location, with no regard for surrounding architecture. Buildings around it were complete obliterated, and rubble littered its entire surroundings. It was very uniform in shape, and not nearly as tall as the some of the nearby buildings. It's structure was strange and alien looking... well... alien looking compared to what was around it.

The spire was greatly out of place, and as they looked at it, tendrils of energy seemed to stream from portions of it, only to arc back and join the rest of the building.

"What..." Roku began to say.

_"Attention! People of Thar! The time has come to finish the final generator!"_ an incredibly familiar voice resonated through the plaza.

A massive holographic screen had just materialized above the crowd of New Tharians... and visible on its surface, was none other than the malevolent and corrupted Artlen, known as Veara.

It had been quite a while since Roku had been in combat with the ruthless Grox commander. Regardless of time, Roku remembered the day as if it was yesterday. Veara herself, completely without mercy or care, had been known for slaughtering hundreds of empires through the command of the Grox.

She was smug looking, with a smirk that said, 'I hold all the power, and you have nothing.'

It made Roku want to find that Artlen and destroy her... but he knew they had no choice but to stay in disguise and wait for the right opportunity.

Veara continued to speak. _"Wallisians of this world, your task is almost complete. Your servitude to the Grox will end on this day, with the completion of the final dark energy generator..."_

"Oh!" Roku exclaimed, although still softly, "That's what sent our ship down."

"Of course," Stekvan said, "Although... it would have to be a massive amount of dark energy. Do you understand just how resilient the Cerion's shields are..."

Veara spoke her next sentence which immediately answered their question.

_"This is the 14th installment in the circle of xeton generators. As you know, each spire handles the production of a single xeton of Dark Energy... once they are all calibrated, they will funnel 14 xetons of energy directly into the citadel."_

"14 xetons..." Stekvan gasped, "That's just... ridiculous. Even the New Tharians shouldn't have the capability to manage that much energy... nor the Grox!"

A nearby Dronox gave the group of captains an evil look, obviously with the message, 'keep it down or you're dead.'

_"And now... we need you to finish calibration on the last generator. You have 20 minutes to do so. Begin now, or you'll test the nonexistent mercy of the Grand Master."_

The holographic screen vanished, giving clear sight down the road and towards the spire.

All around them, the crowd of New Tharians began to move, some of them walking, and some of them taking off to the skies. The five captains watched as the workers landed on different portions of the spire, and New Tharians near the bottom entered a large metallic iris door.

Stekvan and Roku took a few steps forward, looking towards the generator.

"They've turned them into slaves..." Roku said, in disbelief, "Anyone who wasn't destroyed in the battle is... working for the Grox."

"And what are we doing?" Arcadia questioned, moving up from behind as well.

"What we have to do..." Roku said. The tharian captain began to walk towards the spire-like generator, followed by the rest of his crew.

* * *

Alan spun around in shock as the Tritium doors came bursting open.

Veara was striding in, with a look that showed absolutely no patience.

"Whoah... Veara," Alan said, looking at the Artlen with a confused look, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed..."

"Your earth idioms mean nothing to me, human," Veara said, bumping into Alan intentionally as she moved past him.

They were in a room that contained very little color, save for the dark metal that composed all of the walls.

"No really, Veara, why are you so angry?" Alan questioned.

"I had to speak to those pathetic... those... those... tharians again."

"And that makes you murderously angry?"

"No... no... It's just that... I don't know why. Something inside me is angry. Something deep down knows that this isn't going to work..."

"What won't...?"

"I... I don't know."

Alan was just confused now.

"Okay... um... yeah. I'm going to go speak with the Grand Master. You... you should probably rest or... something."

Alan was about to turn and leave, when he noticed that Veara was no longer moving.

"Veara?"

The Artlen was frozen, facing away from the human. Alan walked forward and circled around Veara, to get a look at her face. She was completely immobile. Not a single muscle in her body was flinching.

"Veara!"

A second later, the Artlen snapped back to reality, stumbling for a moment as if she had just fallen.

"What?"

"You... you just... It doesn't matter. The final generator is almost complete. We will bring glory to Agriath, just as we always wanted."

"Indeed."

Alan turned and walked out of the room, leaving a confused Veara in her spot.

_What is happening to me?_

* * *

The inside of the spire was a sight to behold. As Roku, Stekvan, Chase, Maruck, and Arcadia entered the structure on the bottom story, they almost gasped as they looked upwards.

Each and every floor between them and the sky was composed of glass, most likely laced with a sturdy Tritium metal. They could look up and see straight though all of the stories, all the way to the clouds in the distance. While the many layers of glass made the higher levels difficult to make out, closer ones were easier to look at. Just above them, at least 10 tharians were working about, scuttling across the glass surface, running back and forth between many different interface panels.

Although, what was on the bottom story was what startled them the most.

A massive sphere of shining energy, contained by 6 concentric shield generators, all positioned at polar locations on all sides, one above, one below, one in the front and in the back, and one on the left and right. The sphere must have been at least 15 feet in diameter, and occupying the spot at the exact center of the room. The entire bottom story of the spire was at least twice the height of the rest, as this sphere of energy seemed to require huge amounts of cables, shield reactors, and processing computers to keep it stable. All along the circular wall were thousands upon thousands of tiny circuits and wiring. Every 10 feet along the circumference of the wall were interface panels, each one occupied by a New Tharian. All of them were frantically trying to finish whatever it is they were being forced to do.

The captains noticed that the circuitry on all the walls seemed to extend through all of the levels of the spire. It wasn't just a generator, it was a massive computer.

"What in the name of..." Chase muttered, "What is this?"

"Okay... best analogy I can make," Stekvan said, thinking for a moment, "You know, on earth, how you have computers that... well... plug into the wall?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, computers can't directly handle all the electricity from a wall socket. They use something called a power supply to manage and... control the flow of power."

"And this is what... a giant power supply?"

"Not just giant... but gigantic!"

"Aren't those like... the same word?" Maruck asked.

Stekvan just looked at Maruck with an expression of 'Really?'

"Yeah..." Roku jumped into the conversation, "This entire structure is designed to manage the Dark Energy there..." Roku pointed towards the pulsating sphere at the center of the room. "And change it into something the Main Control Tower can process. But... why would they want all that power? 14 xetons is insane!"

"Roku," Arcadia spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"Judging by the looks of that core... I'd say it could easily be overloaded. I mean... energy on that scale would just be dieing to be decompressed."

"Nice job personifying the energy..." Maruck pointed out.

"You're right..." Roku said, looking at the core with interest, "One moment."

The Tharian captain moved from the spot and began to stride toward the nearest tharian, who was using a space-age sauter gun to make some adjustments to the circuitry on the wall.

"Excuse me... might I ask a question," Roku said, behind the other tharian.

"What?" the tharian responded, obviously not happy.

"Where might the main power breaker room be?"

"Up at the top of the spire, the lift's over there," he stated, pointing towards a glass platform on the other side of the room.

"Thanks," Roku said, turning around and moving back towards his crew.

"Okay everyone follow me..." Roku ordered, moving across the room, dodging cables and wiring as he did so, "That was easy, didn't even have to use a Hypnomelder."

"Well you couldn't given that you absorbed yours and used its power crystal to manifest the ability of telekinesis."

"That is true... Anyway, here is the lift."

Roku stepped onto the glass surface, and was followed by the remainder of his disguised captains.

Once they were all aboard, the glass platform began to ascend, completely without a visible hover-device, just like the previous one.

"Amazing technology..." Arcadia said, looking at the platform beneath them.

As they moved higher and higher through the spire, they saw each level pass by them. They were all the same. Glass floor, at least 10 tharains, and lots and lots of circuitry and wiring. One new thing caught their eye, however. A single beam of energy, probably 5 feet wide, was passing from the bottom story all the way through each level. There was a hole in the floor, right in the center of each glass layer, allowing the energy to pass through every story of the building. It was energy emanating from the dark energy core at the base of the spire. It was being processed as it traveled through each level. This building truly was a massive power supply.

The lift clicked in place as they reached the top level. This level was different.

All of the energy from the beam was passing into a large receiver, at least 20 feet wide, while the rest of its circuitry composed the entire ceiling. As they stepped onto the glass surface, it was almost scary to look down through the many levels of the spire, seeing all the way through the many working tharians and to the core at the bottom.

"That's what we need..." Roku said, pointing at the computer at the center of the room. It was panel stationed all around the beam, with a single keypad device and holographic screen. The device seemed to generate one last layer of filtering before the energy reached the receiver on the ceiling.

"Okay..." Roku said, looking around, "Arcadia and Maruck, you two need to just mingle around this top floor and look like you're working. We don't want to make Mr. Grumpy Dronox over there suspicious." The tharian pointed at the angry expression on the guard on the opposite end of the room. "Chase... stay near me and Stekvan. Three people should be fine."

"Got it."

The group divided, Maruck and Arcadia breaking off and walking around. Moments later, Stekvan, Roku, and Chase arrived at the control panel at the center of the room.

"Okay... time to send this dark energy into overload..." Roku said, beginning to type things on the control keypad. "Stekvan, would you mind changing some of these power algorithims to like... ridiculously high output values."

"It's always a pleasure," the Jaxxod said, moving over to another keypad.

"Um... question..." Chase said, a little confused.

"Yeah?" Roku responded.

"What is Dark Energy anyway...?"

"Well it's nothing like Archon Energy if that's what you're thinking. It's a common misconception really... its not 'evil' at all. In fact, Dark Energy is the very force that drives the expansion of the universe. It's a powerful energy that has existed since the beginning of creation, and it's essentially the universe's ultimate acceleration method. Dark Energy is the anti-form of gravity. It's harnessed in basic forms to produce hover-vehicles... but... very few races have the capability or the will to master it completely. To fully contain and compress the single strongest force in the universe, the force that pushes galaxies apart, requires ridiculous effort. But... it pays off, as Dark Energy is one of the highest and most incredible sources of power in the entire universe... if not the biggest."

"That's kind of... awesome," Chase said.

"Yes it is. The reason its called _Dark_ Energy is because its completely invisible, and almost impossible to detect or interact with. It's the energy that drives the expansion of space... which is mostly... dark. In fact, what you see in this beam isn't dark energy. Its high powered exotic particles that are radiating as a side effect of the dark energy reaction. You can't actually see the Dark Energy in the beam, but you can see its effects on the real world."

"Speaking of effects on the real world," Stekvan said, looking up from his holographic screen, "When we send this reactor overloading, it will create a massive release of exotic particles..."

"Yes, but this spire's emergency systems should protect the city... I hope."

"You hope?"

"Well... considering I know who made the plans for this entire spire, yes."

"And who might that be?"

"A good friend of mine. Now that we're here, and I see all of these generators, it finally makes sense. This is the only logical explanation for why they would keep him alive... and in a place where he would be capable of contacting us. Harko designed these generators... which means I know how they work."

Roku reached a screen that had clear text displayed across the top.

_POWER CONTROL OVERRIDE PENDING..._

_REQUESTING ADMINISTRATIVE CREDENTIALS..._

_USERNAME:_

_PASSKEY:_

"Ah crud," Chase said, looking at the screen.

"Nope..." Roku said, beginning to type.

_USERNAME: Harko_

_PASSKEY: 44378453kdxclm_

"How in the world do you know that?"

"I'm good at memorizing things while I look over other people's backs... FYI," Roku explained.

_POWER OVERRIDE SUCCESSFUL._

_..._

_WARNING: DARK ENERGY CONTAINMENT SPHERE REACHING CRITICAL LEVELS. UNTIL PROBLEM IS RESOLVED, THE FOLLOWING SYSTEMS SHOULD NOT BE ACCESSED:_

_-POWER FLUCTUATION MODULES_

_-CORE SHIELD SYSTEMS_

_-MAIN POWER BREAKING SYSTEMS_

_-ENERGY TRANSMITTER RAY_

"Stekvan, would you care to set all main power breaking systems to zero percent?"

The Jaxxod smiled. "Why not at all."

Stekvan turned back to his interface panel and typed a few more things, causing a large chime to resonate through the spire, with a sound similar to the single chime of an emergency alarm.

That got the Dronox's attention.

"You three... what are you doing?" the mechanical clone stated, stepping forward and holding a pulse cannon in its hand. The other tharian workers around the top story were turning around in surprise. None of them had any idea what was going on.

"Quickly, we need to overload it now," Roku whispered to Stekvan, "There are 4 levers on each side of this panel, we need to activate each pair simultaneously."

"Got it."

"Wallisians! You are testing my patience!"

The captains simply ignored him.

"First breaker, now!"

Stekvan and Roku pulled the levers on opposite sides of the panel. When they clicked in place, a loud computerized voice resonated through the entire spire.

_Power breaker systems at hazard level 25%._

"STOP THIS INSTANT!" the Dronox exclaimed.

Right as the Dronox was about to pull the trigger on his weapon, he fell to the ground, knocked out cold. Behind the limp Dronox was Arcadia, who was standing in a confident position with a look of happiness.

"I knew those pressure point classes in captain training would come in handy one day," Arcadia said, looking over at the rest of the crew.

They smiled back.

"Second breakers... now!"

Roku and Stekvan pulled the next pair of levers, causing a similar voice to resonate.

_Power breaker systems reaching hazard level 50%. Increasing danger of reactor core overload._

"Almost there..." Stekvan said, looking across the panel at Roku.

The rest of the tharians in the area were dumbfounded. Their expressions were a mixture of shock, confusion, and fear.

"Third breakers... now!"

The two captains slammed down on the penultimate levers, causing an even louder alarm to chime through the spire.

_Power breaker system at critical 75%. Reactor core overload highly probable. All personnel will begin evacuation immediately. Repeat: Begin evacuation immediately. In the event of a core overload, do not approach the central core. Dark Energy is spiking into space-time distortions._

All around the five captains, the tharains began to scurry about in distress. On all levels of the spire, a single portion of the circuity covered wall slid forward and to the side, creating an opening a good 7 feet in width. The tharian workers raced towards the opening, jumping out in a drastic attempt to get away from the core overload. They spread their wings as they flew further and further away.

Chase was just a little bit worried, given that the second strongest race in the galaxy feared what they were about to do.

Within a good 30 seconds, all of the tharians within the spire were gone. Chase could look straight down through all the levels and see the core in the distance. It had expanded, and was shining a bright red.

That couldn't be good.

Maruck walked back towards the center panel, along with Arcadia. They no longer needed to stay out of sight.

Roku and Stekvan placed their hands on the last lever. "Okay... right after we activate this, we all sprint for the exit..." Roku explained, "You guys don't really need to know how to fly, just spread your wings and glide to the ground. Got it?"

The other four nodded in response.

"Okay... Ready Stekvan?"

"Of course."

"In 3... 2... 1..."

"STOP!"

The five captains froze.

It was that voice.

Roku looked across the central panel, and saw the last person he could have ever wanted to see right now.

Veara.

Stekvan turned around to see the Artlen as well. Chase, Maruck, and Arcadia were off to the side, and looked equally as shocked. She was standing in a tall and confident position, with her right arm fully extended and grasping a pulse cannon, with its barrel pointed right at Stekvan.

"Silent teleport..." Roku said, walking around the panel so that he could be on the same side as Veara, "The Grox are quite good."

Veara didn't look the least bit amused. As Roku drew closer, she shifted her gun's position to aim at the him.

"You five pathetic Wallisians have caused irreversible damage to the 14th reactor. Your sabotage will be punished with the highest forms of Grox law."

"Really?" Roku said in response.

Roku had to keep back his smile, as the Artlen had absolutely no idea who they were.

As Roku moved closer to Veara, four more Dronox soldiers teleported in, two on either side. They immediately pointed their pulse cannons at the remaining four captains, all of their weapons primed and ready to fire at the slightest disturbance. Roku was now no more than two feet in front of Veara's gun.

"Stay back, foolish tharian," Veara stated, "I will show absolutely no mercy."

"Really? Because that's what you're doing right now. You still haven't killed me."

"Don't tempt me!"

Roku was right in front of the pulse cannon, the barrel aimed right at his chest.

"I know why you're not killing me."

"You know nothing."

"I know for a fact that there's is something obvious enough that it will cause you great frustration when you learn the truth."

"What?"

"And that... well... you're not purely a heartless killer... are you? I've seen how you became the way you are. You aren't this. And you don't have to be."

"The tiny bit of curiosity as to how you accomplished this sabotage is falling away, foolish tharian. You are testing the last bit of my patience.

Roku took this moment to take a quick glance back at his crew. Maruck was now stationed where he had been standing, and Stekvan was still right next to the final lever. The Jaxxod nodded back at him.

Roku turned back to face Veara.

"Well... it hardly matters. Because I know two things about what's going to happen. One is short term, and one is long term."

Veara said nothing in response.

"You are not this, Veara. You are an Artlen captain who stumbled upon a dark conciousness, a tiny piece of the one you currently worship."

"So?"

"So? One day, that god of yours will no longer need you, and he'll want that piece of him back. He'll remove Narahgeenah from your soul, destroying what's left of you in the process!"

"I have done too much in servitude to the Grand Master, to the entire Grox Empire."

"But that's just it! You served the grox for 30,000 years! You devoted your entire life to keeping the Grand Master within the core! He's only using you and the entire Grox Empire because of their strength. Once he achieves what he wants... he'll destroy all of you. He dosen't care about any of you!"

"You are wrong, tharian! You are not a captain! You are just a stupid, insignificant inhabitant of this once powerful world!"

"And that leads me to point number two..."

Roku took 3 long strides backwards.

"What?"

"You're wrong about me. I am a captain. Captain Roku Azero."

And with that, Roku slammed down on the inducer pin. Veara had a blank expression on her face.

A blue colored energy formed around the tharian as his features morphed back to their normal form. When he looked back towards Veara, he saw the expression that made him smile. One of shock, fear, and disbelief.

Roku slammed both of his hands down onto the ground, allowing two small circular devices to implant themselves into the glass floor. Seconds later, a solid field of kronon energy erupted into existence, forming a translucent barrier between the five captains and Veara's crew.

"What's that?" Chase asked, with a smile on his face.

"Temporary shield barrier. Designed for situations just like this. Now's the time, change back!"

The other four captains pressed the button on their own morpher pins. This transformation wasn't nearly as gruesome, as the device was simply pulling the previous form out, as opposed to generating an entire new one. Blue energy engulfed Roku's comrades, quickly reverting their features to their original species. All the while, Veara and the four Dronox were firing their pulse cannons at the shield, trying everything to break it down.

Stekvan, Chase, Maruck, and Arcadia stood up, back to normal, and ready to fight, all of their weapons returned to them.

"NO!" Veara screamed.

"And now... well... you lose," Roku said, facing Veara again.

"Tell me... Roku. These shields last a maximum of 30 seconds. How could you possibly defeat us within whatever little time you have left?"

There was silence for a moment.

"By doing what we came here to do. Stekvan and Maruck... NOW!"

The other two captains grabbed the final breaker levels and pulled them downwards, yelling in triumph as they clicked into place.

_WARNING. WARNING. System power and critical levels. Core overloading. Reactor spiking dark energy. Thermal cooling stations non-functional. Temporal distortions highly probable._

"Why you..." Veara said, fury in her tone.

And then, the shield dropped.

Veara pounced, slashing one of her powerful claws in Roku's direction. The tharian jumped back with instinct, dodging the attack with ease. However, as Roku observed where Veara had slashed, something caught his eye. The afterimage of red-ish colored energy where her claws had passed through the air.

"What have you done?" Roku asked the Artlen.

"My claws are laced with archon energy, making their strength twenty times their normal potency."

"You place that foul energy into your very being? What has happened to you?"

"It's not foul energy. Its the energy which once composed all of reality!"

Veara swung her other arm around, pointing the pulse cannon at Roku again, and with absolutely zero hesitation, pulled the trigger. The ball of electron energy blazed through the air, stopped halfway, and exploded, showering the area in light.

"What?" Veara shouted.

Off to the side, Maruck returned to his normal stance, lowering his arm.

"Alminar abilities do come in handy," Maruck said, looking straight at the Artlen Commander.

"Face it, Veara," Roku said, "Those Dronox don't count, it's five against one."

She smiled.

"Not for long."

Before Roku could even ask, Veara pointed her pulse cannon at the glass floor below them, firing a flurry of blasts at the surface beneath them.

The glass shattered, breaking apart in an astonishing dispersal of crystals. The rest of Roku's crew was in awe as the tharian, along with Veara, fell through opening. As they plummeted through the first layer, they crashed into the second, breaking the glass surface of the floor just one level down. Their fall continued like a domino effect, breaking each consecutive glass layer as they fell further and further though the Dark Energy spire.

In their distraction, the Dronox began firing, trying, with absolute determination, to kill the other four captains.

"Oh yeah... forgot about them," Arcadia stated, raising his arm.

A pillar of ice engulfed the Dronox closest to him, freezing all of his features in place, and locking him in a sub-zero prison. On queue, Maruck jumped forward, arcing massive amounts of electricity into the next Dronox. He screamed in pain and ran in circles as his body was shocked beyond recognition. The third Dronox was immediately subject to a ball of extremely condensed plasma, that instantly burnt a large hole through his mechanical chest.

"Oh... that looks pretty painful..." Chase said, expressing fake worry.

The target Dronox fell backwards, completely lifeless. The one arced with electricity simply swayed back and forth for a few moments, and then fell over, his brain having been shocked to a vegetable. Stekvan leaped forward as well, blasting the frozen Dronox with a flurry of pulse cannon rays.

Three Dronox lay completely dead and across the glass surface. The fourth and final Dronox simply stood there, a look of complete horror on his face, as he saw what happened to his comrades. He looked up at the other four captains, in shock.

"Yep, that just happened," Chase said, staring at the mechanical solider. The last Dronox reached for the teleport device on his wrist, and disappeared.

"What now?" Arcadia asked, moving closer to the rest of the group.

"Look..." Maruck said, pointing downwards.

"What?" Chase stated in response.

"Its been a good 30 seconds... and Veara and Roku are still falling.

"Don't be ridiculous..."

"No, look."

Far below, probably within the last 5 layers of the spire, was Veara and Roku, locked in combat, plummeting towards the ground.

But they seemed to be falling _very_ slow. Unreasonably slow. As they broke through another glass layer, the pieces of shrapnel broke apart with in a manor not unlike a slow-motion scene of an action movie. Something was wrong...

"Oh no..." Stekvan said, looking at the phenomenon, "We need to get as far away from this spire as possible... right now."  
"Why?" Maruck asked, "And what about Roku?"

"He'll find a way out... but we need to go. That dark energy core is generating a localized time distortion. Trust me when I saw that Roku has more time than we do."

"Okay... lets get out of..."

BOOM.

A large explosion blasted the four captains back, and caused a nasty ringing to resonate in their ears.

When they had managed to stand back up, they saw a gigantic breach in the top of the spire. The receiver was gone, as was most of the ceiling and a good portion of the north wall.

The perpetrator of the explosion, a grox raider vessel, hovering 20 feet away from the top floor of the spire, its missile launching cannon sliding back into the hull.

The four captains raced forwards, jumping across some of the debris and rubble.

"We can take this, can't we? I mean... we destroyed at least 10 of these on the way in..." Chase said, looking around his comrades.

The glass surrounding the cockpit opened, sliding slowly open.

It was a face they recognized.

Civet.

"I assure you. This one's a bit harder to destroy..." Civet stated, in his cold and arrogant voice.

* * *

Down and down they fall.

"What are you doing?" Roku exclaimed, in confusion.

Veara just laughed in response.

They broke through another layer of glass, sending shrapnel in all directions. In a desperate attempt to stop his fall, Roku spread his wings. Right as he was about to slow down, Veara pulled out her pulse cannon and fired it. The electron energy smashed into Roku's left wing, causing him to shout and pain and twirl back into a falling position.

In retaliation, Roku extending the poison blade on his right wrist, its energy glowing as they fell. Right after they broke through another layer, he slashed forward, managing to leave a cut on one of Veara's arms.

"Is that all? Really?" Veara taunted.

In that moment, they broke through the last layer. Veara spun upright, using her catlike legs to absorb the energy from the fall. Right before Roku hit the ground, he extended his wings, wincing in pain from the damaged one. He was, however, able to slow just enough before he hit the metallic floor.

Roku turned for a moment to look over at the reactor core. It was shining a bright red, the dark energy within in it massively destabilized. Occasionally, a large amount of electrical energy would arc from the core into a nearby wall, making this entire bottom story extremely dangerous.

"Are you crazy Veara? What do you even plan on doing?"

"Finishing you once and for all."

Veara dashed forwards, slashing her archon claws in Roku's direction. The tharian captain jumped backwards, missing the sharp blade-like claws by inches. As she brought her hand back down, she did the unthinkable. She used the strength in her arm to vault herself into the air, doing as flip as she jumped over Roku.

The Artlen landed behind the Tharian, and without hesitation, pulled out the pulse cannon and fired at Roku's back.

Roku ducked down immediately, sensing the energy from the weapon before it was even fired. The electron sphere blazed over his body, smashing into the far wall and exploding into a shower of sparks. Roku spun around on the floor, and then extended his arms, grabbing hold of large amounts of debris with his telekinesis. He picked up circuitry, metal, and large amounts of glass.

He threw all of the object forwards, mimicking the motion with his arms as he did so. The debris flew through the air, moving towards the Artlen commander with alarming speed.

But Veara was prepared, she jumped to the side, dodging the first chunk of metal with ease. The she did a backwards flip, allowing the second to pass under her harmlessly. She then turned to her side, to allow to burning hot pieces of circuitry to fly by on either side of her.

She was quite easily a master at fighting.

She continued this dodging, quite to Roku's dismay. The tharian dropped his arms, and allowed all of the debris to fall to the floor.

"You're more skilled than I remember you..." Roku said, looking over at the corrupted Artlen.

"Either that.. or you've just lost your touch."

Roku cringed form this comment, but a few moments later, something caught his eye. A piece of debris was just now hitting the floor, contrary to the fact that he'd dropped it a good 10 seconds ago.

Right now, Roku had his back to the core, and Veara was closer to one of the walls. The Artlen vaulted forward again, a look of rage on her face. The tharian dodge-rolled to the right, and then sprinted away from the core. He skidded to a halt on his talons, and then turned around to face Veara again. She was now no more than 5 feet from the pulsating destabilized core.

"What... do... you... plan... on... doing... Ro... ku...?" Veara asked, in a voice that had a surprisingly low tone. Something was wrong with her voice, she was speaking too slow... unnaturally slow.

"Veara... something is wrong!" Roku shouted.

"You... 're... the... one... that's... go... ing... to... die... here!"

Veara sprinted forwards, but not from Roku's point of view. Veara began to move forwards with great power in her strides, but she didn't appear to be moving very fast at all. However, as the Artlen drew closer to Roku, her pace began to pick up, like someone pressing the fast forwards button on a video. The closer she got to Roku, the more 'normal' her speed became. That would explain the slow speech... but... how?

The slowed Veara gave Roku more than enough time to perform another dodge-roll to the right. Veara's power claw attack slashed through empty air.

Roku stood fully back up.

"Veara, seriously, there is something more than the two of us going on here!"

"And what in the name of Agriath do you think is happening here!"

"LOOK at the core! It's destabilized beyond recognition. The computer said there was a high possibility of a localized time distortion... I should have listened!"

"What are you talking about?" Veara exclaimed.

"The closer we get to the dark energy core, the slower time passes!"

"Is that even possible?"

"You should have asked the one who designed this entire building. I'm sure _he_ would know how to fix this!"

"You can't know..."  
"I do. And Veara, I will stop at nothing to make sure that every New Tharian on this planet is saved. And this isn't just for Harko, or for Stekvan, Chase, Maruck, Arcadia, Aster, Talor, Draxus, Tisep, Gire, or anyone I've met. This is for everyone that the Grox have destroyed! Don't you see Veara? The race that you live in is composed of monsters. For the past 300 billion years they've terrorized the Aeron galaxy. Empires, brand new and young, just out of the civilization stage, are wiped out of existence just because the Grox are in a bad mood!"

"And this is my problem?"

"Yes! You need to open your eyes and see the truth!"

"What truth?"

"Well for starters," Roku said, picking up chunk of glass from the ground, "We need to get out of here!"

The Tharian threw the glass towards the core. As it got closer, its motion slowed down at a exponential rate. Before long, it was inches from the edge of the core's energy, and traveling an inch per second, far slower than the speed Roku initially threw it.

"And what effect does this have on our battle?"

"Veara you're insane!"

"I've heard that one before, and my response shall remain the same."

The Artlen dashed forwards, slicing her powerful claws at Roku again. This time her attack was successful. A large cut was opened up on Roku's left arm, causing him to collapse to the floor in pain. The archon energy was creeping through his arm like a poison, stinging as it did so.

As Roku tried his best to stand back up, the core went into a more violent destabilization. A huge amount of energy was blasting out of the core, forming an arc of red energy as it did so. The form of the energy breach was incredibly similar to a solar flare. The central shield was no longer capable of containing the dark energy core. They didn't have much time left.

"It seems as though you've run out of luck..." Veara said, moving towards Roku. Who was trying his best to not fall over again, "That archon won't take long to shut off the life of every cell in your body..."

"Even if I am going to die right now... then I'm taking you with me!"

Roku jumped towards Veara, grabbing her by the arm. With all of his strength, and the aid of his telekinetic abilities, Roku threw Veara towards the Dark Energy flare. She stumbled, managing to gain a footing before she reached the large and non-matter friendly field of energy. Right as she was about to fall into it, she used her legs to vault backwards, performing a backwards flip through the center portion of the circular flare, the only part that wasn't teeming with exotic particles.

Veara smiled as she stood back up. They were both now on opposite sides of the flare. "Looks like you're finished... Roku. At last, you're defeated at the hands of the strongest Grox commander."

"Oh... but that's just one scenario... And the universe is full of millions. Think Veara... you were once a captain. What was the one thing they told you over and over again?"

"Don't be a fool Roku! Everything leads to the darkness in the end!"

"No Veara. Never Underestimate any Circumstance. And when I saw this, I mean look. LOOK, at this scenario. Look where we are. You're in the bottom story of a dark energy generator, designed by _my_ partner, and best friend. Look, those controls over there are the last shield controllers for the final protection against full meltdown. Look, I have telekenesis. Tell me, now, if you've underestimated this."

Veara said nothing for a moment, and then she exclaimed, "But you'll kill yourself!"

"No... because I know something that you don't"

"What?"

Roku raised his arms, pointing them at the controls.

"Roku, STOP!"

"No."

Roku used his mind to destroy the final interface panel.

_ALERT. Full System Failure. No chance of recovery. Reactor core energy releasing. Dark Energy... systems... failing..._

The computer was gone. All safety systems were gone.

In that moment, Veara did, in fact, look scared.

Then, the core exploded.

In a massive cascade of shining red energy, their vision was obscured. In the explosion, all sound ceased. The world was perfectly silent.

Seconds passed, and Roku's vision returned. What he saw, made him smile, for he knew what was happening.

The core was exploding, expanding, its energy deadly to anything that touched it.

But it was exploding... _slowly._

They were still inside the localized time field. Contrary to common sense, the closer they were to the core, the more time they had to escape its blast.

"What?" Veara shouted, "A Dark Energy collapse happens within a trillionth of a second! Its undetectable! The field would have to have increased to an unthinkable ratio!"

"Not quite..." Roku said, "We're at the center of the blast. Right now, the time field is ripping apart as well. Honestly, I really can't explain the science to you. Right now, the laws of physics no longer apply."

"Then this is my time," Veara stated. She pressed down on the teleport on her wrist. A bright light began to obscure Veara's form, but like everything else, it was at at a rate slower than normal.

"But... what is happening?" Veara said, "My distance shouldn't matter with this..."

"The teleport has to calibrate the difference in time... which means..."

Roku spread his wings and jumped towards Veara. The teleport process was almost complete, Veara's form starting to disappear. But it gave Roku just enough time to grab hold of Veara.

"No you! Get away!"

The teleport wormhole opened, dragging both Roku and Veara into its depths. Both of them dematerialized on the spot.

Colors, explosion, swirling energy. Everything was chaotic and hard to make out. The teleport was also slower than normal. They could see the hyperspace tunnel they were traveling through. It was beyond stunning to look at.

"Get OFF!" Veara screamed. The Artlen kicked Roku with one of her powerful legs, landing a blow right on his chest, knocking him back.

Roku fell backwards, his vision completely obscured by blackness.

* * *

_And chapter 29, at last! Don't worry, the epic nature of these past few chapters will continue on through the next few as well. It'll be awesome!_

_ And last but not least... Don't forget to REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!_


	30. Unending Truth

_For those of you who didn't know... which would be everyone... I was on a vacation for 2 weeks, so by a technicality, I wrote this chapter way faster than normal. To note, it isn't as long as previous chapters, but it gets the job done. Also noteworthy is the fact that I planned on having this chapter be much longer... but I decided that this section stands perfectly fine on its own. Also... I'm sure you guys would like to see more regular updates... so here we are!_

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**30:** UNENDING TRUTH

* * *

Civet's raider vessel swerved into position, another anti-matter missile sliding out of the hull. If they didn't find an escape now, they were as good as dead.

"I never dreamed it would be this easy..." the Grox hissed, his malevolent tone making hate crawl up the spines of the other four captains.

Stekvan, Chase, Maruck, and Arcadia were still atop the Dark Energy spire, their escape options dwindling to horrendously low likely-hoods.

Looking around, they just saw the debris from the previous explosion, and lots of sparks coming from the open hole in the top story of the spire.

"Really?" Stekvan said, stepping forward.

"Well I should think so... Look at the four of you! Standing their, so dignified and courageous... so... foolish. There quite legitimately is absolute no way for you to escape me. And even if you do... by some impossible miracle... escape my wrath... then the powers of Agriath will continue to pursue to the end of time!"

"Wow... that's quite a threat..." Maruck stated, a joking look on his face.

"You think this is funny?" Civet exclaimed.

"Why would we not?" Chase said, looking up at Civet, "You're a tiny red gremlin in outer space! I mean come on! I had a hard time taking this seriously at first."  
"You insult my form! Is that what you are attempting to do?"

"That's exactly what we're doing..." Arcadia spoke up.

"I've had it with all of you! How many insults do you think you can utter before this anti-matter missile blasts your consciousness into nothingness!"

"Well... depends on how much time we have..." Maruck said.

Civet was in no mood for that.

"That's it!"

The anti-matter missile began charging.

"Wait just one more second..." Stekvan said.

"What?"

"Do you honestly think we'd give in _this _easily?"

Civet didn't respond.

"And do you actually think... by some ridiculous notion in your head... that we weren't prepared for an attack by a Grox raider vessel?"

"Then what in Agriath's name are you going to do?"

Stekvan smiled.

Behind him, Arcadia had been pulling a device off of the arm of one of the dead Dronox bodies. He tossed it through the air, where Stekvan caught it with little effort.

"You see..." Stekvan stated, holding the device in his hand, "The New Tharians developed encrypted teleport nullifiers... as I'm sure you're aware..."

That was all the explanation that Civet needed.

"NO!" the Grox shouted, pressing down firmly on the fire button.

The anti-matter missile came blasting out of the vessel, blazing towards them.

"NOW!" Stekvan exclaimed. The other three captains jumped forwards, moving to be within the necessary radius of the device.

In a bright flash of Kronon, the four of them disappeared.

* * *

Roku opened his eyes, dizzy, and confused. The world around him was hard to make out, blurry, and a mess of colors. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to bring back his vision. It wasn't until he finally forced himself to stand up did all of his senses return to him.

He was standing in a plaza in Alyxia. It wasn't the one in which they had received instruction from Veara, it was another one, to the east of the spire.

He needed to get back to his crew immediately. Roku tried to move his feet, but in his attempt to break into a sprint, he collapsed forward, falling headfirst onto the metallic pavement.

"That... wasn't what I planned..." Roku stated, lifting his head so that he wasn't staring at the ground. All the muscles in his body were barely responding. He was stuck, nearly immobile. It was then that he noticed the large numbers of cuts and bruisers all over his body. None of this made any sense... what had happened?

Without warning, Roku was knocked back, thrown at least a good 15 feet. He landed on his back, sliding across the plaza and slowing to a stop. There was no one to be seen who could have caused that. It was a shockwave, an unbelievably powerful shockwave.

An explosion resonated through the air.

The Dark Energy spire.

It had destabilized fully, and a massive column of energy was shooting into the sky. He could see it down the street in front of him. A single beam of exotic particles was being redirected by the spire's emergency defense systems, all of them blasting up into the atmosphere. Arcs of energy would occasionally shoot of and contact nearby buildings, making the phenomenon look a swirling tornado of shining light.

The beam grew to such an intensity, that Roku had to turn his head away, as to not be blinded by the insane amount of photons being created during this destabilization.

The light died down, and Roku took another glance forward. The entire area around the spire had been obliterated. The plaza near it, gone. All the bridges above it, gone. All that was left was a single gigantic crater left in the ground, and chunks of flaming metal falling from the sky.

Roku tried to keep his eyes open, but before he could stop himself, he drifted off into unconsciousness...

* * *

"Roku! Roku! Wake up!" someone was shouting.

Light flooded Roku's vision. The world entered his eyes almost immediately. Two people were standing over him. Stekvan and Chase.

"What... what is happening?"  
"Just stay quiet for a moment..." Stekvan said holding his hands above Roku's chest. A stream of white, cloud-like dust descended upon Roku's form. It spread out, engulfing his entire body. It was a strange energy of some sort... if that was even the right word for it.

As the particles passed through Roku's body, he felt his pain go away. All of his cuts healed instantly, all of his bruises faded. His broken bones were repaired, and his strength returned.

Roku sat up, just as the last of the white energy dissolved.

"You just..." Roku said, looking for the right words.

"Healed you... with my alminar ability."

"You... what?"

"You don't think that I, the first one to discover these abilities, would just sit around and ignore their implications..."

"Well... where does your power come from?"

"The Staff of Life... one of the replicas. I have the energy from its life core."

"Can you... restore planets?"

"No... just life forms. The energy of life stays within me. It's why the Grox are so afraid of me. Not just because of who I am... although that's still a big part of it... but because I am another powerful weapon against their archon. That's why I was able to stay in stasis for 300 billion years... I mean really, no conventional stasis pod can keep someone asleep for that long."

"I was gonna ask..." Roku said, getting to his feet. "Wait... where's Maruck and Arcadia..."

Stekvan and Chase stayed silent for a moment.

"We lost them... in the teleport."

Roku was surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"Right after we used the teleport to escape..."

"Wait... wait... wait. This planet is under an encrypted teleport nullifier. Normally that means that just New Tharian teleports will operate... but in this case, it would be only Grox teleports."

"Yeah, we borrowed one from a Dronox," Chase explained.

"And right after we activated it, Civet sent the signal to the Main Control Tower, where we're guessing, the nullifier was raised to all teleport frequencies, causing ours to shut off in mid-wormhole."

"Like when we were on Primo."

"Exactly, except this time, we didn't all end up in the same spot."

"So... where's Maruck and Arcadia?"

Stekvan and Chase looked at each other for a moment.

"We have no idea."

"Great."

"We just came from a few blocks to the south," Chase said, pointing down another street, "when we saw you... just... laying there. What on earth happened?"

"Got into a little fight with Veara. I kinda blew up the whole spire..."  
"Yeah... noticed that, go on."

"And then... I grabbed hold of Veara when she was teleporting out, but got kicked out, and I landed here."

"That explains the cuts and bruisers. You were launched outside of a wormhole, falling short of the destination. You would have impacted this ground with incredible speed, probably skidding to a stop."

"Well... this means we can figure out where the teleport was leading. We came from the spire there..." Roku explained, pointing towards the crater, "And I ended here, meaning that the destination was..." Roku turned all the way around. His predictions were confirmed.

"The Main Control Tower."

They were closer to it than before.

An alarm resonated through the streets.

"What the?" Chase exclaimed.

The noise was loud, deafening, and coming from every tower around them. It was a repetitive tone of four chimes, with the third chime being slightly lower than the others.

"That's the intrusion alarm," Roku explained, covering his ears due to the incredible volume.

"The what?"

"Whenever their is an incursion on city safety, a program can be executed to immediately quarantine the affected area."

"You mean like..."

"Yeah."

In all directions, a large field of blue-tinted kronon energy was ascending. It was a force field, taking the form of a hemisphere as it curved all around them. It was encompassing not just their plaza, but this entire portion of the city. The Towers, the ruins of the spire, and every street, hover-bridge, and landmark within an entire mile. One edge of the shield stopped just before the Main Control Tower.

"Oh no..." Stekvan muttered.

The three captains took off across the plaza, running as fast as they could.

"Wait!" Chase shouted, causing Stekvan and Roku to stop running and turn around, "Where are we going?"

"To find the nearest sub-transit system. If we can get into one of those, we can travel out and under the shield," Roku stated, making an explanatory motion with his hands.

"If that's true... then it wouldn't make the quarantine very good, would it."

"I don't have time to explain if fully, just follow..."

"_I didn't expect that you three would be foolish enough to stick around."_

The voice was loud and powerful.

Another holographic screen had materialized in the plaza, hovering a good 15 feet above the ground.

It was Alan.

"What are you doing here, Alan!" Chase shouted, looking up at the screen with anger.

"What do you mean '_what am I doing here?_' Are you kidding me? I've been here _most_ of the time. I am the reason the Quantum Gateway will be a success. Don't you realize?"

"No... enlighten me."

"Still with the attitude, little brother. Fine, I'll tell you. When the Grox failed to take Sol III, I was their backup plan."

"How so?"

Stekvan figured it out.

"The Tesseract was meant for the humans..." Stekvan stated, looking up at the human.

"Very good Steve, I'm glad to see that you're still sane after 300 billion years inside a temporal prison."

"And you _are_ sane?"

Alan didn't respond to that question.

"I was chosen by the Grand Master to execute construction of the gateway."  
"The what? Gateway?" Roku questioned, "we haven't any knowledge of what you're talking about!"

"It dosen't matter anyway, everyone within this field is going to perish. _Everyone."_

The three captains nearly jumped in shock as at least 50 other New Tharian civilians appeared in the plaza, having been teleported in. However, it became immediately apparent, that it was _not_ by their choice. They all fell to the ground, stumbling to get back into a standing position. Roku recognized some of them as Tharians that had been working on the construction of the spire. Even a few small children were scurrying through the crowd, trying to locate their parents.

"What have you done... Alan?"

"Only what the Grand Master has commanded. Teleported together all of the other lifeforms within the force field, just so you could truly know what was about to happen."

"And that is?"

"Incineration."

The force field changed colors, shining a distinct red tint across every surface. It was increasingly difficult to see out of the bubble and at the sky, as a thick haze was beginning to engulf the entire quarantine. The temperature was rising rapidly.

The haze became so opaque and hard to see through... that it gave the illusion of night.

"The Grox cannot tolerate your existence anymore. You're an extreme detriment to our success."

Many of the Tharian civilians around them were in shock, fear, and worry. Small children Tharians were crying, running to find shelter. The temperature was rising even higher, beyond comfort by any means.

The three captains pushed their way through the crowd, until they reached the fountain at the center of the plaza. It poured holographic water in intricate patterns. The New Tharian captain climbed on top of it, allowing his talons to grip the stone as he moved to the top. A circular platform rested at the top of the fountain, and Roku stood on it, a look of determination on his face. Stekvan and Chase stood on either side of the fountain, waiting for what Roku was going to say.

"I can hardly believe you," Roku stated, "You're going to kill all of these innocent Tharians for _NO REASON!"_

"Of course there's a reason! Your destruction!"

"And why do you need that? Why do you need to serve the Grand Master?"

"Because his victory is inevitable!"

"Really? If that is so true, then why do we need to be destroyed?"

"Because, little Tharian captain... I hate you. I hate your existence, your being, and everything about you. I hate every New Tharian on this world, and I would rather see them all burn to death in agony then live to say anything!"

"Alan, that is not you talking. You have one last chance to redeem yourself. I promise you... everyone has a choice."

"I've made my choice."

"No you haven't. And I don't care about you, anymore! You're just a general for the true evil. You have no significance in this matter."

"_No significance?_ Who gives you the right to insult me like that?"

"Who gives you that right to kill an entire plaza of New Tharians! Not to mention the entirety of Phrychous, where you killed millions of completely innocent Chimera!"

"None of this matters. You have less than 120 seconds before the incinerator disintegrate every atom within the force field."

"Well then. Show me the Grand Master."

"What?"

"If you're going to sit their, all smug and powerful, then why don't you show me the truth. The _reason_ that all of this has happened. The _reason_ that so many people have died. Or as you would call it... the ultimate truth."

Alan smiled.

"Very well."

Static filled the screen for a good 5 seconds, and when it faded, the unmistakable form of the corrupted Amahani filled the holographic display.

"Foolish mortal... Roku Azero, why do you think that any contact with me would be beneficial to you?"

The other New Tharians in the plaza now had full confirmation as to who was standing atop the fountain. It was their one and only legendary captain.

"Roku?" one of them said, "Are you really back?"

"Save us from him Roku!"

"Stop him! He's... he's... too powerful for any of us..."

The Grand Master was laughing.

"Listen to them call your name, Azero. Listen to them. They cry out in desperation, searching for a hero... that will not come."

Roku stared back at the Grand Master.

"How so?"

"You are not destined for anything. You are going to die, here and now. I have waited... for so long... to finally rid reality of Spode's retched creations."

Roku took a deep breath and continued.

"Agriath... I know who you are. You came into this universe with one purpose, destruction. You were unstoppable."

"I still am!"

"Save for one thing... the Arcane Biorod. I still don't understand why... can you explain to me _what_ that device even is?"

"Why should it matter?"

"Why were you nearly destroyed by it?"

The Grand Master laughed again.

"Its a power from beyond the edge of reality."

"What?"

"A force that is getting weaker with every moment. And by the time I succeed in my stratagem, that force, that puny spark... will be wiped from existence... for good."

Roku let the Grand Master relish the moment before he spoke again.

"Well... I still have a few question for you..."

"You barely have 60 seconds left to live!"

"Where are Maruck and Arcadia?"

"Really? You're dieing wish is to know the location of you friends? What... nonsense is going through your mind?"

"Tell me, Dimitri!"

"That is _not _my name! Maruck and Arcadia have been taken captive."  
"What are you going to do to them?"

"Nothing... yet. They aren't nearly as much as a threat to us."

"Really?"

"No. But I _knew_ that you would fill your pathetic mortal soul with pride when I made a statement like that."

"Who's to say that I did?"

"Tell me, Azero... why do you act so calm? You're death is immanent... why do you seem so... uncaring."

Roku smiled.

"A little subspace message I received before we arrived on this planet."

"What?"  
Roku reached into his pocket and pulled out the small rectangular device. It contained a touch-screen and extend-able holographic keypad. Roku pulled up a specific message.

"We received this precisely 3 minutes before we began our hyperspace jump to Thar." Roku began to read it out loud. "Do not worry. When death is about to come, by the powers of flames, do not fear. You will be safe. -Azero 1153."

"What is the significance of this?"

"The message came encrypted with not just my 4 digit identification number... but my entire security binary code. There is no way anyone but me could have written this message."

"But... how then do you expect me to believe such nonsense?"

"Because... you're about to witness it."

* * *

"Status on shield module 10!" Veara shouted, commanding a group of five Grox surrounding a circular panel.

"Holding steady, commander," one of them responded, "We're 20 seconds from total incineration capability."

"Perfect..." Veara said, with a smile on her face. She looked to the nearby wall, which was just as solid and black, made of unbreakable tritium metal. On its surface was a holographic screen, displaying the three captains in the plaza. The plaza that was about to be destroyed. Those vermin were about to be completely gone from her life... finally.

_No, I won't let you._

A voice was coming from inside of Veara. It didn't make sense. She had heard it before. There was someone calling her... telling her to stop. No, there couldn't be.

She shook it off, there couldn't be such a thing.

_Now is your chance! Save them!_

What in the name of Agriath was going on? How was this possible?

Veara closed her eyes, trying to shake off the voice. She felt a power growing from within her. Something powerful, something growing to the surface of her consciousness. She knew it had been there forever... something always with her... what was it?

"Stop, no..." Veara muttered, slowly collapsing to the ground, the sensation like a unbearable headache growing across her entire form.

Some of the Grox turned away from the panel they were working at, worried for their commander.

"Veara? Veara, what is happening?"

They got no response, for Veara was now immobile, frozen again. The Grox had no idea what was going on. They were just as confused as Alan and Harko had been.

But this time, something was vastly different.

The truth within her was no longer going to stay restrained. The light was not going to back down. This time, _Veara_ was going to win.

Deep within the recesses of the artlen's consciousness, far below any detectable connections. Far below any normal psychic readings... a battle was taking place. A battle for control.

There was nothing but an infinite darkness in all directions. Nothing but raw subconscious. There was a figure standing in the center. A light glowing from her body. The only source of hope in a dark world. The last flame.

"No more," the figure said. It was Veara.

Before her, materialized another figure. It was gruesome, made of pure archon... a creature of the shadows. It vaguely resembled an artlen, but it was in a constant state of flux, morphing unnaturally... tentacles of darkness extending from many parts of the ethereal body. It was the one that had stayed on the surface of Veara's consciousness. The one that had made nearly all of her decisions, guiding her to the person she was.

Narahgeenah.

"I will not play host to your dark powers any longer, spawn of death!"

"What makes you think you have any ability to say that?" the creatures of darkness responded, its sinister voice sliding incorrectly on most of the syllables.

Veara dashed forward, slashing her claws at the monstrosity. As she did so, an afterimage of shining light was left behind. The energy impacted Narahgeenah, and to the entity's great surprise, it damaged him.

"Where does this power come from?" Narahgeenah responded, its energy slowly returning.

"From the truth of Spode. The very power that once brought the Crogenitors to great might! You remember don't you?"

"The races of Ancient Order? Of course! I've existed since before all of them!"

"No you haven't. Temporal casuality loop."

"I don't get it..."

"You won't, and never will, until it's to late. Now, entity of hate and of the void, feel the power of the truth, and of the light!"

Veara extended her arms, allowing a sphere of bright white light to explode from her form. It brought sight to the entire darkness. It expanded into infinity, blasting through the form of Narahgeenah, causing the entity to squirm and shriek in pain.

"This cannot be happening! This is my body now!"

Back in the shield generator room, Veara was now writhing back in forth on the floor. Unrelated jumbles of words were streaming from her mouth, causing even more concern on the Grox onlookers.

"No... STOP!" Veara screamed, struggling to stand up, "Let go! Narahgeenah... no more! STOP!"

The Artlen managed to stand up, and was now trying with apparent desperation to reach the control panel.

"I will not let you!"

_10 seconds until incineration, _the computer chimed.

"No..." Veara was pulled back by an unseen force. But she didn't give up. Using the strength in her Artlen legs, Veara forced herself forward, moving, while slowly, towards the interface panel.

"You will _NOT SUCCEED!"_

Veara was halfway there, and the grox were still wildly confused, no longer protecting their post.

"I will be FREE!"

_7 seconds until incineration._

The image of Roku on the screen was closing his eyes now, hoping in desperation for what he was told would happen.

Veara was feet from panel.

"I can destroy your mind, Veara!... No... but you wouldn't... because you need me!"

_5 seconds._

Veara grabbed hold of the controls quickly programming teleport coordinates.

"If you do this, Veara, you will suffer unbearable pain trapped inside your own mind! You do not have the power to stop me!"

Veara's hand hovered over the activation button.

"But I will have saved those who do have the power. And Narahgeenah, they will blast your consciousness into oblivion. I _WILL_ save them."

Veara slammed down on the button.

_Teleport coordinates accepted. Executing teleport..._

* * *

"Your death comes now, Roku, Stekvan, and Chase. Prepare to die."

The Grand Master finished his speech, and just smiled.

Roku felt something strange. A very memorable sensation... was it...

Roku opened his eyes. Kronon energy was spinning around his form, blurring his features. Looking in all directions, this was happening to every other creature in the plaza.

"What... NO! How is this possible?" the Grand Master exclaimed, fury in every syllable of his voice.

And they were gone.

* * *

Veara was on the ground, weak and desperate. She was gripping her legs, forming her body into the shape of a tight ball. The flame of truth that had broken through was still trying to hold its dominance.

Regardless the possibility of success, the next event destroyed her last bit of hope.

Alan burst through the doors for the Main Control Tower's shield generator.

"What happened?" he shouted, looking at the grox with undeniable hate, "Who did this?"

In fright, most of the Grox quickly pointed to Veara, who was mumbling strange and hard to make out phrases on the floor.

"Impossible, Veara would not do such a thing! Why do you treat me as such a fool?"

"Stand aside Alan," a dark and powerful voice said.

All the Grox in the room immediately bowed to the floor, trying with all their might not to look at their god.

As the Grand Master moved into the room, its temperature seemed to drop. His very presence made an eerie hate fill the air. Archon seemed to infect every atom in proximity to his form.

"What is it, lord Grand Master?" Alan asked.

"It _is_ her."

The corrupted Amahani raised his arm.

Archon engulfed Veara's body, and in a manner similar to Roku's telekinesis, it yanked Veara off the ground and into the air. She hovered a good three feet from the ground, a blank expression on her face.

The Grand Master stepped forward.

"You do not have strength enough to do what you accomplished... how is this possible?" His voice was dark and sinister.

"Because, as you once said... I am on the side that will inevitably win. And I tell you this, Agriath, it isn't the void. It isn't darkness. It's the powers of life for now, for what was, and forever. Don't you get it? Reality, for now, for what was, and forever. A finite of infinity. Do you understand, lord of darkness?"

"How can _you_, is a better question?"

"I am nothing but the light of Veara's soul. I, as does every other sentient being in creation, know, deep down, that you will fail at your plan."

"I have had enough of this..."

The cloud of archon around Veara became much thicker.

"Narahgeenah's grip on you is loosening. I have no idea how it came to be so at such an inopportune time, but... I will not let it continue. I am strengthening Narahgeenah, the portion of my own archon that is within you that is, by adding more of my power."

"I knew it would come to this," Veara said, "But let it be. For my victory here was all that was necessary to continue the stratagem of the light."

"Enough!"

The Grand Master swiped his arm, and all of the archon around her body moved _into_ the Artlen. She fell to the ground, breathing deeply.

"Now... tell me Veara. What do we do now?"

Veara breathed deeply for a few seconds, her body compensating for the extra archon.

"We continue with the stratagem..."

Veara stood up, and looked the Grand Master straight in the eyes.

"And how do we do that?"

An evil grin filled the artlen's face.

"We find Roku and his friends... and we destroy them."

The Grand Master smiled.

"I knew I could count on you... carry on then..."

Veara nodded and moved with Alan through the exit.

The Grand Master turned as well, following the other two through the dark passages of the Main Control Tower.

_Everything is going according to plan..._

* * *

_If you read the Author's note at the beginning, then I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out that it shouldn't be nearly as long until the next chapter, due to the fact that I'm basically starting on it RIGHT NOW. I also will not let myself procrastinate, and I WILL finish it as fast as possible._

_I think._


	31. The Ascent

_Authors Note:_

_That officially was the LONGEST chapter in the entire story. But it had to be... so I sincerely hope that the great amount of epic content makes up for the amount of time it takes me to produce it... hopefully. Speaking of which, I'll try to reduce the number of words per chapter, by a lot. That way, I can release chapters quicker and not strain your eyes as they try to read down this freakishly long page. By all means, this will REMAIN the longest chapter in the story._

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**31:** THE ASCENT

* * *

Roku gasped, quickly coming to his senses. Around him were Chase, also disoriented, and Stekvan, who were examining their surroundings.

"Where the...?" Chase said, confused.

They were in a long and dim passageway that seemed to stretch forever in either direction. The walls were mostly constructed of black metal, with a surprising amount of pipes littering the surface.

They were standing on a flat metallic surface, one that appeared to jut out at least 15 feet from closest edge of the passageway. In fact, _passageway_ was an understatement. It was more of a tunnel, in a shape similar to a massive hexagon, extending forwards and backwards a great distance. Their platform was midway between the base of the tunnel and the ceiling, and it didn't follow the entire length of the tunnel, just a good 30 to 40 feet of it.

It was frustratingly dark, making it very difficult to make out distant objects.

"Okay... now what?" Roku said, trying to determine their location. "Did anyone bring a light sphere?"

"I did," Stekvan stated, reaching into a small pouch on his belt. From it, he pulled a small spherical device, probably about 5 inches in diameter.

Stekvan tossed the sphere straight up. Right when it reached the top of its arc, it froze, an anti-grav field allowing it to hover. Seconds later, light exploded in all directions, emanating from the light-giving device.

"Awesome," Roku said. Their environment was now clearly visible.

The tunnel was at least 50 feet in diameter, with their small platform being rather uncommon in the long and seemingly endless stretch of metal.

"It's a sub-transit passageway..." Roku realized.

"A what?"

"A complex system of tunnels running underneath Alyxia... and most of the planet actually."

"And how does it being incredibly dark help _anyone?_"

"It's not normally... the Grox must have drained all the power, or just rerouted it. In fact... did any of you notice any sort of power on the surface and upper city... save for the holograms and platforms?"

"No, actually... there wasn't... anything."

"Then we have a problem..."

Roku turned away the crew and walked towards the nearest side of the tunnel, the one the platform was attached to. On it was a flat-panel screen built into the wall, directly adjacent to a closed set of thick tritium doors. Roku was fiddling with the display, searching its surface for any sign of power.

"Hm..." Roku said, "Chase, hand me your energy key."

Chase pulled the energy key out of his pocket. It was the one device that Chase felt proud to have discovered. The human tossed it towards Roku, who caught it without any effort.

"This panel is drained of power... but the key should provide just enough of a jolt to..."

After forcing the energy key into the edge of the screen, the display lit up, brought back to life. A series of chimes followed, the New Tharian logo filling the screen. Moments later, and they were faced with a map.

Stekvan and Chase were now on either side of the Tharian, viewing the screen as well.

The map showed their entire underground portion of Alyxia... and it was nearly as complex, if not _more_ complex and awe inspiring than the surface.

Thousands upon thousands of tunnels running in and out of the city, all of different sizes, shapes, and orientations. Docking platforms, like the one they were on, were placed in amounts inconceivable all over the system. In fact, below each tower on the surface, there appeared to be an equally large tower stretching _below_ the surface. The tunnels connected every part of Thar with unbelievable efficiency.

"So this is like... a subway station, yeah?" Chase said, realizing the implications of this system, connecting... everything. So... where... or what are the trains?"

"Contained spheres of tritium glass," Roku explained, "That are incapable of shattering, breaking, or transferring external force in any harmful way to the occupant."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. In fact, this entire area is referred to as the 'Lower City' or 'Lower Alyxia,' with the Upper City being the part that gets most of the attention from other planets. Honestly, given the sheer amount of urbanization that has happened here, we needed to take advantage of the space as much as possible. Most of the less attractive things are stored down here, like energy modules, reactor cores, and genetic labs... yeah... we don't want those things escaping."

"Huh?"

"Nothing... Anyway... we only have _this_ control module active... how are we going to reach the control tower..."

"Better question," Stekvan said, "How did we get here?"

"Something, or someone teleported us."

"Yeah, and we still have no idea how we received that message. It was authenticated using your credentials... are you _sure_ you didn't send it?"

"How is that even possible? How could I predict what was going to happen? How could I know we were going to be saved right at the last possible second? Or am I supposed to travel back in time and warn us or something?"

"I... have absolutely no idea," Stekvan admitted, "The point is, we're here, and now we need to reach the control tower."

"And what do we even plan on doing? Three of us versus the Grand Master, Veara, Alan, Civet, and an entire armada of Grox... are you crazy?"

"We don't need to kill any of them, or anyone for that matter... we just need to take the Tesseract."

"And how... are we going to do that?"

"Actually, you won't have to do much of anything for a little while," Roku said, looking at Chase, "You see, I was trying to explain to you earlier, about the sub-transit system. Once you reach the control tower, there is a genetic allowance field. Only those with the required genetic code can pass into the citadel. Normally, its New Tharian... but now..."

"Just Grox?"

"No... not just Grox. Because Harko had to have been in there at least once, and Veara, and Alan... _and _Dimitri."

"So... Grox, Tharian, Artlen, Human, and Amahani?"

"Wrong again."

Chase was now slightly frustrated.

"Grox, Tharian, _Veara, Alan, and Dimitri. _They've set it to be quite exclusive."

"How can you know? Why do you think you're just so... smart!"

Roku smiled.

"It says here on the screen."

Roku pointed to a small corner of the display where it said "Genetic Allowance Field Current Settings."

"Wow..."

"And the Jaxxod species is too far off from the Grox to enter the tower as well..." Stekvan stated, turning to face the Tharian directly, "Meaning that..."

"Oh! Oh! I got this one," Chase interjected, "Only _Roku_ can go into the field!"

"And...?"

"Um... well... then he'd need to reach the control room for the field... deactivate it... as well as the teleport nullifier... and then beam us to him."

"Actually... right," Roku said, slight surprise in his tone, "But that entails good news and bad news."

"Good news...?"

"The teleport nullifier and genetic allowance controllers are in the same room."

"And... bad news...?"

"They're 10 stories from the top of the tower."

"That... is a long way away," Stekvan commented, "_At least_ 400 stories."

"A good mile into the sky... yeah. And were at least 20 stories underground right now."

"But... the sub-transit system is deactivated, how are you even going to reach the tower?"

"Well..." Roku said, starting to move away from the group and towards the edge of the platform, "I'll improvise."

Roku spread his wings, and jumped off the edge of the platform. Seconds after this act, he fully caught the air, and took off.

"Oh that's right..." Chase said, shaking his head in disbelief, "He's got the whole human-hawk hybrid thing going on."

Roku's speed accelerated as he glided through the tunnels. His shadow grew as he moved towards the edge of the light sphere's illuminated area... and once he past beyond its range... he disappeared into the darkness.

"How is he gonna... see?" Chase asked Stekvan, who was right next to him.

"New Tharians have terrific eyesight... but that's besides the point. What you said a moment ago remind me about a question I've had this entire time."

"What...?"

"The human-hawk hybrid thing. It is extraordinarily odd that the New Tharian Empire shares a great resemblance to humans."

"I never really questioned it... is that odd?"

"Greatly. It is common for species to share small traits... like a body structure or an eye type... but an entire form is just... nearly impossible."

"But Marks seeded my world... and he's a Tharian right?"

"He used the Staff of Life... and when you give life to a world with that device you have no control over the appearance of lifeforms that appear. And... he was an Old Tharian."

"So... all that's left is the Tesseract."

"Yeah... there's way more to that device than we know..."

* * *

"No more lies Yagoda! Now is the time that we learn the TRUTH!"

The human was infuriated. He had returned to the containment chamber with great intention. To force the stubborn ascended deity to talk.

"Who are you? What is your name?" Yagoda asked.

The human was reluctant, but responded.

"I am Professor Anson of the Human Empire... the last that remains in the Tetradon Universe."

"Good for you Professor Anson. How long have you waited to find an escape to the dim fate that beholds Tetradon?"

"Two-hundred and seventy four years..."

"That is... quite a while."

"I don't need any of your attitude right now."

Yagoda smiled.

"I hope you know that I am on your side now."

"I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. As as an ascended one I can see through the blur of time."

"We've already established this."

"I can see all the outcomes of every action, of every dimension, universe, and plane of existence. We are the eternals of reality... But as of recently... that power has begun to fade... not just for me... but for every ascended one."

"What?"

"Something is coming, Anson, something more powerful than all of us, something strong enough to rip apart the seams of reality and plunge all into archon."

"Just as you wanted... am I right? For you yourself took on the power of archon."

"No longer. I gave up that hate-filled energy... for I see the truth now. It's echoing from the edges of infinity, calling as the last light of existence."

"This all _sounds_ heroic and poetic... but I simply can't trust you, Yagoda."

"I know... but you will soon."

* * *

Roku spun around another dimly lit corridor, turning a corner and putting his back against the wall.

"Stekvan? Chase? Is the continuous voice subspace message receiver working?" Roku said, talking into small microphone attached to the collor on his uniform.

It took a moment to get a response. But then...

_"Yes, yes it's working. We're receiving you loud and clear."_

"Good... now, I know that you can pull of the inner schematics of the Tower on that panel near you, right? The Energy key should be able to hack into the schematics... maybe even display enemy life signs."

_"Indeed... I can do all of that," _ Stekvan responded, _"Just give me a moment."_

There was the sound of mechanical beeps and hand movements, and then the Jaxxod spoke again.

_"I'll be able to give you directions from here. Right now... you're 15 stories underground, inside the main Citadel column... in the sub-terra zone, underground is essentially what that means... Anyway, it looks as if you're a few hallways from the Central Core room."_

"That' right..." Roku said, continuing to inspect his surroundings, looking for any sign of an enemy, "The Quantum Core is situated at the base of the Main Control Tower, partway underground."

_"Yes, you'll need to pass through that chamber to reach elevator... 73. That should take you directly to the Tower's security control center. There you can disable the nullifier."_

"Very good... but why can't I go around the Core Room?"

_"This whole place is crawling with Dronox guards, and even some Grox, working to see that the plans of Agriath follow through. The Core Room will likely have very few people within it."_

"For good reason! That entire chamber is bursting with dark energy!"

_"Your personal shield will protect you... you won't be in direct contact with the energy, you'll just be slightly irradiated by the exotic particles. You shouldn't have any noticeable side effects as long as you don't stay in there too long."_

"So a slower death. I see. Wait... what about the security cameras? I've been dodging them up to this point... but what now? It'll be nearly impossible to make it through the Core Room with much higher level of cameras within it."

_"I would've been able to explain it to you earlier if you hadn't flown off so quickly... anyway... do you still have that cylindrical device I gave to you, way back before we came to Thar?"_

"Yeah, the one that you never told me what it did?"

_"Yeah, I have something to tell you."_

"Really?" Roku said sarcastically, still looking around the corners for possible hostiles.

_"Not to long before you received your message about how we were going to survive the Incineration Field... I received my own message..."_

"From me as well... I'm guessing?"

_"Yes. Same encoding, same everything. It couldn't be fake. Except... this one said to give you my EMP emitter, without telling you what it was. And then... explain it to you at precisely 7:44 Alyxia Standard Time."_

"It's 7:43... and 55 seconds right now..."

_"Yep... And... And... Now its 7:44. The device you have is a miniaturized electro-magnetic pulse emitter. Once you're in the Core Room, use it by lifting the panel at the top and pressing down hard on the button that's revealed. It will take out all the security cameras, but leave the core intact... as it only destroys electrical equipment."_

"Seriously?"

_"Seriously."_

"Awesome."

Roku dashed back around the corner, sprinting down another hallway.

"I'll talk to you in a bit, right now I need to focus on not getting caught."

_"Understandable... continue."_

Roku turned another corner, skidding across the metallic floor.

Most of the sub-terra Citadel was colored a dark and foreboding tint of black, with occasional New Tharian orange, as was their empire's signature color. The upper parts of the Tower were a bit more welcoming, many more oranges and light colors.

In fact, nearly every floor in the Control Tower served an important purpose. Anything from communication management between the different Tharian colonies, military command, core power management, scientific research, experimental technology, government organization... anything and everything really. There was even a food court on one of the levels.

Underground however, most of the Tower was devoted to power management on the Quantum Core, an unmistakeably large singularity of dark energy, eternally creating and destroying itself. Within its depths, the Tharians were successfully able to create a space-time distortion that extended outwards, surrounding the entirety of explored New Tharian space. This Quantum distortion allowed for instantaneous travel of information throughout the empire, for all data would be immediately, without delay, warped to the Main Control Tower, and then warped to its destination. Messages, commands, and even large packets of data could cross half the galaxy in less than a second. This was New Tharian technology at its finest.

Roku turned left at a final corner, entering a much larger and decorated hallway. Energy conduit pipes were all over the surface of this hallway, and a long ornate carving of abstract shapes covered the black metal on the ground.

The Tharian captain followed the hallway to its end, where a single iris door lay closed.

_Identify._ The computer requested.

"Captain Roku Azero 1153."

A holographic grid descended from the ceiling scanning of all Roku features, and reading his genetic code.

_Identity confirmed. Please remember to wear personal shields while entering Quantum Core Chamber. High levels of radiation are very potent. Do not stay for too long._

Roku passed through the iris door moments after it slid open. Beyond it was a sight that no one truly got used to, no matter how long you were a New Tharian.

The Core was unbelievably large.

The chamber he was in was in the shape of a gigantic cylinder, extruded upwards at least 50 stories. Roku was standing on a ledge attached to one of the walls. The ledge circled the entire perimeter of the Core chamber, with a multitude of hover platforms in increasing variance all across its surface, allowing lifeforms within the chamber to safely move between different levels of ledges. All along the cylindrical walls were tritium windows, sturdy and unbreakable, allowing workers of all different types to view the Quantum Core and be safe from the radiation. Those who entered the chamber were only allowed to do so for short amounts of time.

The Core chamber's diameter was _at least _as long as two football fields, the other side being so far away, that Roku had to strain his eyes to make out the distant exit. The one that Stekvan needed him to reach.

And then... there was the core itself.

A single and unbelievably large sphere of energy, occupying a good 70% of the core chamber. It was similar in description to the Xeton core at the bottom of the Dark Energy spire, except this one... was _much_ bigger. It's color shifted randomly across the spectrum of light, changing as different densities of exotic particles emitted different wavelengths of photons. A powerful kronon shield surrounded the Quantum Core, powered by 300 different generators, all keeping the core's energy in check. The expansion of the dark energy was clearly visible, but then immediately halted by the shields, which would force the power back in on itself. The core was a continuous explosion. A star of exotic particles, dark energy, and a singularity right at its heart. The energy shifted, expanded, glowed, arced, and collapsed, creating a majestic core of ultimate power.

Once again, nobody really got used to seeing it.

Roku looked over the edge of the platform he was on. Far below, after a _long, long_ drop, was a bubbling pool of magma. Long rods of tritium metal were protruding from the cylindrical wall at different levels, curving, and then extending directly into the magma.

The Core drew most of its power from geo-thermal energy. Power directly from the heart of the planet, continuously being generated, restored, and then utilized with great efficiency.

"Oh right..." Roku said, pulling the EMP device from his belt. He pushed open the top, and then pressed down on the button.

A shockwave exploded outwards from the device, bouncing off the many walls and extending across the chamber. It moved farther and farther away, until Roku could no longer see it.

_"Good."_ Stekvan said, _"Now all you need to do is cross the core chamber."_

"Easier said than done."

_"There should be some sort of transport platform... a lot actually. Have you even been in this chamber before?"_

"Of course I have... But... not that often. You're not meant to be in this room for that long! Especially without a tritium suit."

_"Well then... move over to one of those platforms... please."_

Roku rolled his eyes and walked along the ledge, curving slightly as the walkway did so.

He approached one of the glass platforms. It was perfectly circular, contained no visible hover-module, and was almost completely transparent. Even as a creature with wings, looking down through an almost invisible platform was terrifying.

Roku really needed to speak to whoever designed all this.

_"Platform 288 is where you need to go, Roku."_

"Activate Platform. Destination... Platform 288."

The technology responded instantly, accelerating away from the ledge he was standing on before. He moved across the chasm that formed the chamber, sticking to a route that arced around the core, as the most direct route would result in complete vaporization.

_"Um... question..."_ came Chase's voice through the subspace messenger, _"Roku can fly... why is he on a platform."_

_ "It is very hard to predict the gravity fluctuations within the Core Chamber... the Tharians built the platforms so that they wouldn't die. Is that a good enough explanation for you?"_

Chase didn't respond to that.

The platform continued to move across the core chamber. Far below, magma bubbled, releasing its thermal energy indefinitely.

"Is it getting hot in here?" Roku asked, slight confusion in his voice.

_"Most likely, the radiation might be ebbing through the shield. Remember, you don't have tritium armor on."_

"Well... actually I do. But... not a full suit."

Roku looked around the chamber again, and noticed something he hadn't seen before. Around the top of the metallic cylindrical walls were fourteen open pipes that protruded from the wall. They were all quite large in size, with a diameter of at least 30 feet. They were equally spaced on all sides of the chamber, all of them angled down at the Quantum Core.

"Stekvan... do you have an idea what these 14 pipes are? They should be on your schematics somewhere."

_"Um... yeah. Those are massive power conduit lines, specifically for dark energy. They're... oh... they're coming from dark energy receivers about... 80% up the tower. They process and accelerate the energy all the way down the tower... and then launch it into the Core."_

"They must be coming from the Xeton generators... that's right. Veara said that we were constructing the fourteenth Dark Energy generator... that means... we've already sabotaged their operation. Those towers would have arced the energy into the receivers... and then accelerated it into the core, giving the Grand Master the power he wanted... but... why?"

_"You're guess is as good as mine. I doubt the Grox will give up though. Even if they can only produce 13 xetons now... they'll find a way..."_

* * *

Veara picked up Harko and smashed him against the metallic wall.

"You pathetic animal! You told me those towers were indestructible! That entire generator imploded and blasted a crater into Alyxia!"

"And what... do you want me to do?"

"We don't have enough time to construct another generator! I'll need you to change the scripts... so that each generator handles a little more than 1 xeton... a thirteenth more... that way... when working together, it totals to the necessary 14 xetons."

"Are you crazy? The dark energy emulator is already at full capacity! Beyond that in fact! The entire system is drastically unstable. If I were to do this... you'd risk..."

Veara dropped Harko, but with great force... more like... throwing him at the ground.

"I don't want any of your nonsense, Harko! I don't care about this planet. Adjust the algorithm now, or I spread Alminar Gas all over Thar... killing the rest of the New Tharians... given that they aren't even necessary anymore."

Harko took a deep breath, and stood back up.

"Fine Veara... you get what you want. But... what has become of Roku? I was told he was caught in an..."

"Incineration Field. He's dead."

Harko looked stunned for a moment, but then said, "Yeah... you're lying. I can see it in you're eyes. And even if you weren't... you'd be wrong."

Veara looked displeased as she walked away from the Tharian.

* * *

Roku jumped off the platform before it had fully reached the destination ledge. His talons touched down on the hard metal, and immediately afterwards, he took off running. The iris door on this end of the chamber opened immediately, allowing him to sprint into a hallway identical to the one he had used to enter the core chamber... just flipped around.

_"Roku... I'm picking up 2 Dronox guards around the next bend. You need to go that way... take care of them, but make sure they don't send a distress signal."_

"Copy that."

Roku ran up to the edge of the corresponding hallway, and pressed his back against the wall. Behind him, he could hear the voices of the two Dronox, speaking to each other in mechanical and hard to make out voices. He heard them walking towards him, as their voices began to grow in volume. Right when he knew they were feet away from him, Roku spun around the corner.

Before the two Dronox could process the situation, Roku had executed his plan. Immediately, the first Dronox was killed by a poison blade, relentlessly sliced across his neck. The next tried to turn and run, but Roku couldn't allow him to escape. He jumped forward, tackling the Dronox to the ground.

"Get off me you pathetic... little..." the Dronox exclaimed, its cybernetic arms flailing, trying to find his communicator so that he could sound the alarm.

_"Come on Roku! What in the world are you doing? Just stop him!"_

In the metal-clad hallway, all that could be seen was a flurry of wings and cybernetic arms. Roku needed to know something...

The Tharian placed his hands the Dronox's head.

He focused his telepathic ability... trying with all his might to home into the consciousness of the Dronox...

Could it work? Was it possible? He had to see...

**FLASH.**

There was nothing all around. Just an endless void.

He had done it, he had entered the mind of the Dronox... without any help from Stekvan's device.

"Is anyone here?" Roku shouted into the dark, his voice echoing.

_"I am..."_

Roku spun around. Behind him... was the Dronox. He was no longer covered in cybernetics. He was free of everything... this was his true consciousness... unhindered by the Grox... or Agriath. The creature was lying on an unseen flat surface... a floor in the infinite dark. It was the same surface Roku was standing on.

The creature had a vague canine resemblance, with a purple-ish skin, and eyes that showed only fear.

"You... you... can't save me. My mind is already gone. The Dronox are a slave race just barely clinging to life... just waiting to die..."

"Tell me... what did the Grox do to you?"

"They created us... they formed our minds... but they denied any signs of sentience. Dr. Ensanii... formed our being many... many years ago. But... when we showed signs of true life... he simply crushed our minds, locking us a way in a prison of our own subconscious..."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"There is nothing you can do... my physical body is no longer connected to me."

"So you're telling me... that you want to die?"

The creature looked up at Roku, uncertainty in his eyes.

"Yes... but there's more to it. Even in this seemingly never ending bleak... I can feel something coming. A force that will bring me back even if I perish... that will save my entire species. Roku... leave me be. You need to be the one to save existence... go... and do what you need to do..."

"Which is...?"

"What you know is right."

**FLASH.**

Roku was lying on his back in the Main Control Tower hallway. He was still in slight shock... but he needed to keep moving.

He extended his poison blade, and quickly sliced one of cybernetic cords on the Dronox next to him. He knew for a fact that it cut off the life-support... ending the mind instantly.

Roku stood up, breathing a little harder than normal.

"Where do I go now?" Roku asked.

_"Straight down the hallway, then turn left. That's the entrance to the elevator."_

The Tharian captain took off again, dashing through the hallway with great agility.

Roku skidded around the corner, and then continued his pace down the length of another metallic passageway. Then, he threw out his wings and slid to a halt, stopping right before another sealed iris door.

"Request entry to elevator..."

_"73," _Stekvan reminded Roku.

"73," Roku finished.

The iris door slid open, with a smoothness greatly similar to earth sci-fi movies.

Roku ran forwards and into the elevator.

It was massive hexagonal prism... starting with the bottom level... which seemed to be where Roku was, and extending all the way to an unseen and incredibly distant top.

The elevator platform itself was yet another hexagonal shaped platform, probably 50 feet wide. It was thick, and capable of moving at great speeds, whilst dampening the inertia of those riding it.

A holographic panel materialized at the center of the platform.

_"Roku, EMP now!"_

Roku quickly brought out the device, pulling back the cap at the top and pressing down on the activate button.

The energy exploded outwards again. Roku watched as it quickly ascended upwards and through the entire elevator shaft, knocking out all the security cameras as it did so.

"But what about the elevator..." Roku stated, a little confused.

_"Oh I forgot to mention, didn't I. It's a smart EMP. Jaxxod technology. It only takes out security devices."_

"Seriously?"

_"Yes Seriously. Now, activate that panel... and go to level 482."_

Roku moved up to the hologram, and touching the part which read 'Voice activation.'

"Request activation. Move to level 482."

_Activation request granted. Elevator ascending..._

There was a chiming noise, and then the entire tritium-laced glass floor began to move, following the direct and static path of the elevator shaft... upwards. It accelerated as it moved farther, reaching a speed that was exceptionally fast for an elevator. The hover system were completely silent, making the experience quite surreal. When Roku looked down, he could see through the glass surface, down and towards the increasingly distant floor.

Then, the thing that Roku was looking forward to happened.

The elevator moved passed the first 50 stories, and the metal on the side of the elevator shaft that Roku was facing... was replaced with tritium glass.

It was a view window, designed to give sight of the city as one rose through the many levels of the Tower.

And give sight it did.

Roku could see through the lower parts of the many towers... and as he gained height, he was able to look across and see the complex system of bridges that connected the many buildings, still somewhat sturdy. Even higher he climbed, and he could view the tops of the many towers... some that were already much higher than anything normal for other space-faring races. The New Tharian Empire had always prided itself on architecture... and for good reason. They had created the most efficient and sturdy urban center in the galaxy. Not only did it look cool, but it functioned without any issues, with millions of economic managers, workers, and civilians moving through the city every day...

Or at least it did.

Now, Roku was above the majority of the city's towers. He could see across the Alyxa skyline, and towards the distant edges of the capital. Up in the sky, Thar's moon, Kimplemvora, was slowly fading into view, as night was growing closer. The star Pyles was descending into the mountains... in a preserved rural area on the edge of the city.

Roku couldn't believe the sight. Buildings were torn up, ripped apart, and falling over... but there was still beauty on this planet. The light of Pyles moved through the atmosphere... creating brilliant sunset colors. Nature endured through everything... and would never end. As Roku rose even higher, he knew that, more than ever before, Agriath needed to be stopped. He had destroyed more lives than were countable... and it had to end now.

Roku closed his eyes for a moment.

Something was wrong.

He sensed the disturbance behind him immediately. Roku ducked to the floor with amazing speed, allowing a lightning sword to pass over his head.

The Tharian spun around, pulling his pulse cannon from his belt, and firing it at the enemy behind him.

The Dronox was hit at point blank range with the weapon, knocking him across the elevator platform. He fell to the glass surface, immobile.

"Stekvan... what in the... I was just attacked by a Dronox. How's that possible?"

_"Oh no..."_ the Jaxxod responded, _"I was worried this might happen..."_

"What?"

_"The Grand Master could have easily given the Dronox a bit of added security abilities... Like... recording and broadcasting video of anyone who attacks them..."_

"How... How would you know if that's true?"

_"I can't... but it is a technique that the Jaxxod once employed in their army. To immediately alert officials of an intruder. They must have seen the elevator activated... and teleported another guard in to double-check..."_

"Then that means..."

Six more Dronox soldiers materialized before Roku, all on the opposite side of the elevator platform, and facing the Tharian.

"Stand down, Tharian," one of them said, his pulse cannon primed and aimed at Roku.

Roku needed a way out, and now. He looked towards the hologram at the center, which was displaying their current level.

329.

He was almost there. He had to find a way to stop them...

"So... what's your plan this time? Just... shoot me?"

"That's the idea, yeah."

"Well... I think you'll find that a little bit more difficult than normal..."

"What do you mean?"

Roku aimed his pulse cannon at the Dronox who was threatening him, an action would immediately caused the Dronox in question to fire his own pulse cannon. That's what Roku was counting on...

The Tharian dropped to the ground, dodging the energy beam with a grace that only a highly trained captain could pull off. He spun around so that he was facing the tritium glass view window, pointed his pulse cannon a good distance upwards, and fired.

The Dronox watched as the energy shot through the air, and then impacted the glass far above. Little known to the Dronox, while there _was_ unbreakable tritium fibers in the glass, they were present mostly on the outermost layer. When Roku's pulse blast hit the view screen... a shower of glass shrapnel descended upon the group.

Roku stood back up and held out both of his arms, and using his, at this point, nearly mastered telekinetic skills, he grabbed the entire cloud of glass shards with his mind. He held them in place above the group, retaining the same inertia as the elevator.

"No... NO!" one of the Dronox screamed.

Roku brought his arms across his body in a swiping motion, and the shrapnel complied. All the glass debris above Roku moved away from him, and the rest... flew towards the group of six Dronox with alarming speed. They were gone before they could say another word.

_"What did you do?" _Stekvan asked, a tone of awe in his voice.

"I'll tell you later..." Roku responded.

But then... it couldn't be.

More Dronox appeared before Roku. This time _15_ soldiers had materialized on the elevator platform.

"We will not allow you escape Roku! As hard as you try, we will keep coming... our numbers are nearly limitless!"

Roku looked at the platform level count again.

456.

"Is that so..." Roku said, and then under his breath - _"Stekvan... is there a way to override the EMP's smart setting... and just take out all electronic equipment?"_

The Dronox were growing restless now. They were slowly advancing towards the captain.

_"Why?"_

_ "Just trust me."_

_"Hold the button for 3 seconds before releasing."_

Roku glanced at the level count a final time.

477.

The elevator was beginning to slow...

"We will be the ones to kill you, pathetic captain!" another Dronox exclaimed, a great smile on his mutilated face.

"Yeah... I really don't think so."

Roku pressed down on the button, holding it for three seconds. He felt the device charge in has hands, shaking with power.

3...

2...

1...

NOW!

Roku released the button, and the electro-magnetic energy expanded in all directions, taking out everything in the vicinity. The Dronox weapons, Roku's weapons, the hologram at the center, and... _the elevator._

It slowed at the top of its journey, just before its destination. A feeling of weightlessness overcame all of its occupants.

"See ya' guys later," Roku said, a smile on his face. The Tharian captain extended his wings, and jumped upwards, freeing him from what was about to happen.

The platform dropped, falling further and further downwards, taking all of the Dronox with it. They fell out of sight... there was no surviving a fall that high.

Roku glided over to the nearest exit door, and gripped the edges using his talons, and then grabbing hold of the side with his hands. Above it was a label marked '481.'

He needed to be one story higher. Roku used the strength in his legs to vault himself upwards, now standing on top of the door's rim. He jumped again, gaining just enough height to extend his wings, flap one more time, and grab hold of the bottom of 482. He slowly used his arms to bring himself upwards. Moments later, he had pulled his body up and was standing on a rim around the door that extended from the wall no more than a foot.

"Open level door 482."

_Request granted, _the computer responded.

The iris door quickly slid open, allowing Roku to jump forward into the new hallway.

Roku took quick strides down the hallway before him. It, as he knew, was much more lightly colored than the ones near the base of the tower. Outlines of orange surrounded a largely blue-tinted metal.

Roku felt his armor and shields power back on, having restored functionality after the electro pulse.

"Where now?" Roku asked.

"_I'm detecting more Dronox through the passage I was gonna send you through... but I have an easy detour... take a left through the door next to you... now."_

Roku spun on the spot to face the door, an entrance composed of two metal plates that slid apart. When Roku stepped up to it, they did just that, detecting his presence.

The Tharian captain moved into the room.

"_It should be a room with two doors... find the one on the other side, and exit through there... that'll put you right next to the nullifier room."_

"Got it."

Roku clicked the EMP device again, taking out all the cameras in this room as well. He didn't want to give the Grox any more confirmation of his presence.

The room however... made Roku stop in his tracks.

It was shaped like a wide hallway, with large cylindrical glass tubes lining both walls.

"Oh no..." Roku said, an almost sorrow tone to his voice.

The tubes all contained a murky blue liquid, and within them... were things too gruesome to describe.

Mutations, failures... genetic experiments gone wrong. The Grox had been using the Tharians genetic technology in an attempt to bolster their own army... and they had been using innocent Tharian civilians as their test subjects.

Some of them had missing appendages... arms in the wrong places... and aspects of other creatures seemingly stitched onto them. It was a horrible sight. They all seemed to be conscious... but drugged in some way as to not have any energy. They all floated in the liquid, masks over their mouth and noses, providing them air, as they simply lay limp in the genetic ooze.

Roku hated the sight. This is what the Grox did.

He moved quickly through the experiment chamber, passing by a table which had a large amount of surgical equipment strewn across its surface. Roku made it to the opposite side of the room.

He knew he couldn't save those that had been experiment on... but he would avenge them... after all... that's what Roku was best at.

Roku moved through the door way, it opening to his presence as well. He stepped out into a hallway similar to the one before.

_"Okay... move forty paces to your right and enter the room on your left."_

Roku complied, quickly moving though the metallic hallway, coming up to another sliding door. Above it were the holographic words 'Tower Defense Systems.'

"There's bound to be guards in here..."

_"Yes, there are. Do what you can."_

Roku prepared his pulse cannon, and then stepped in front of the door.

It slid open.

Inside the room were five Dronox soldiers, all of them lining the walls, and 3 regular Grox working at the security interface panel, archon respirators over their mouths and noses. The devices were visible as small translucent force fields that contained a perpetual grox-friendly environment. The captain didn't hesitate at all. He fired at the Dronox closet to the door, hitting him right in the cybernetic life support pack, knocking him dead instantly. Roku quickly bent down and stole the pulse cannon from the one he had just attacked, preparing for another assault.

He took both weapons, holding one in each hand, and angled them at two Dronox across the room, firing in a quick motion. They were hit in the necks, falling to the ground. Roku smiled, and performed the same action again, killing the remaining two Dronox soldiers, impacting one in the back of the head, and the other in the chest.

All the Dronox were now lying on the ground, lifeless. They had been killed before they even had time to activate their shields.

The three remaining Grox were stunned, with no idea of what was to come.

"Please... don't..." one of them said, fear obviously in his eyes.

Another idea surfaced to the top of Roku's mind. He used the two pulse cannons to instantly kill the two Grox who had yet to speak, the energy knocking their small bodies across the room.

Then the captain moved towards the Grox, looking him straight in the eyes. The Grox's cybernetic eye twitched as the Tharian looked right at him.

"I need to see something..." Roku said, extending his right hand. The Grox was obviously scared, as the Tharian still had a pulse cannon in his left hand. If the Grox attempted to activate his shield, he'd be killed before he could press the button.

Roku touched his hand to the Grox's head. He needed this to work again. His telepathic abilities came through before... what about...

**FLASH.**

Another empty void. It didn't make sense... why was everyone's mind completely dark? Or at least... everyone he'd been in so far.

Then it made sense.

Their mind was suppressed by Agriath. His darkness made up all of their being... or most of it. Their consciousness was perverted, their opinions changed. What he saw in the Dronox was the remains of its subconscious, the only part of him that was truly intact.

He had to find the same thing here.

And so he did.

A small cybernetic-less creature was curled up on the invisible ground, whimpering in what seemed to be pain. Tears were falling from its eyes as it looked up at the New Tharian.

"Is there anything I can do?..." Roku said, getting down on his knees to get a closer look at the creature.

"Very unlikely..." the grox responded, "My race has devolved in form over such a long period of time..."

"So... what exactly am I speaking to right now?"

"What you were seeking when you came into my mind. The only part of my consciousness that remains free of hate and sin. Archon fills the rest of me..."

"But my first question, tell me if I can help."

"It is not implausible... that you could remove the archon from a Grox, essentially free any one of my race from not just the grip of agriath, but all the hate and darkness that has filled their entire life... You could give them a clean slate."

"How?"

"You cannot do this alone, Roku. But you can do this... and I know you will..."

**Silence, mortals.**

It was the voice of Agriath.

"Be gone from this place, False God!" Roku exclaimed, standing back up.

**But I have found my place in the souls of the Grox for billions of years. They were the perfect vessels for my conquest... already so filled with Archon. They practically welcomed me!**

"No one would welcome you if they knew the truth!"

**Regardless, I will not allow this particular Grox mind to reveal anything else to you. His life ends now.**

The Grox on the invisible surface screamed in pain, writing in agony. And then...

**FLASH.**

Roku was standing back in the security control room. The Grox he had tried to save... was lying dead on the floor before him. It had spoke of a way to free them, but by all means, this was not the way. Agriath's grip on the empire was far to powerful to be stopped by Roku's telepathic abilities.

_"Roku... Roku... are you there?"_

"Yes I'm here Stekvan."

_"It's weird, you disappeared for a second there."_

"I know... I'll explain it to you later. Give me just a moment, I'm about to beam you up."

_"Copy."_

Roku examined the interface panel. It was just as he'd remembered it. A 6 sided set of controls surrounding a large hexagonal column in the center of the room. One of the walls, the side opposite the door he'd come in through, was a large window, through which Roku could once again look across the Alyxia skyline. You never really get used to just how _high up_ these levels were.

The Tharian pressed a few buttons on the panel, and then brought up a flat holographic screen that hovered a good foot above the panel. He moved a few objects on its translucent surface, and then found what he was looking for.

_Nullification Field Controls._

Roku pulled up the main dialogue box for the field's controls. He stretched it to fill the whole screen, and then located the 'off' function. A large warning filled the screen.

_Reminder: Nullification Field prevents unwanted foreign teleports._

Roku quickly selected 'Ignore' and then proceeded to type in Harko's User ID and password.

It worked. For a moment, the air around Roku seemed to vibrate, as did the air across the entire planet. The encrypted teleport nullifier had been turned off. The Grox's main source of security was gone.

Roku immediately jumped on the next task. He slid to another window, finding the teleport beaming function. It took a little bit of navigating through menu screens, but it wasn't long before he came upon the controls he needed.

"Stekvan, give me your coordinates."

_"Um... 66.8, 557.2, and 994.0."_

Roku plugged in the values, and then selected, 'teleport to here.'

The Tharian closed the holographic screen and then located the execute button, a circular red-tinted button lying on his side of the interface panel. After a swift press, and a lot of spinning Kronon energy, Chase and Stekvan materialized in the security control room.

"Oh... now finally!" Chase said, "It was getting seriously annoying being stuck in a dark passageway for like half an hour."

Roku just looked at Chase with an expression of 'you are the most ungrateful person I've ever met.'

Stekvan then spoke up, "Excellent work Roku. Now all we have to do is..."

"Oh! One more thing," Roku exclaimed, turning back to the panel. He quickly found a medium sized lever that was situated between two of the panels. Roku grabbed it and threw it into the opposing position. A computerized voice resonated through the security room.

_Security Camera System temporarily disabled_

"Even better," Stekvan said, slightly impressed.

"Yep, now all we have to do is... well... steal the Tesseract."

"Easier said than done," Chase said, looking at the other two captains, "So... we do have a plan right?"

Stekvan and Roku just looked back at Chase with a slight smile on their faces.

"Seriously?"

"That reminds me..." Stekvan said, "Follow me."

The Jaxxod sprung into movement, swiftly running out of the security room, with the other two right behind him.

Chase had no idea what was going on.

"What are you doing?" the human asked.

Stekvan turned back into the experiments room, still containing a gruesome number of mutated creatures.

"Oh..." Chase said, in a little shock.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Chase here," Roku stated, "What _are_ you doing?"

Roku and Chase watched as the Jaxxod examined a large amount of technological equipment, quite a bit of it sitting atop a thin metal table. He was obviously looking for something very specific.

"Ah! Here it is!"

The Jaxxod was holding a device shaped like a handheld pistol, except much bulkier and covered in a lot more wiring.

"And that is...?"

"Particle Extraction Gun," Stekvan explained, moving back towards the other two, "It's used by the scientists in this room to quickly isolate the cells of their subjects... but it can be used to isolate molecules from anything.

"But how does that help us?"

"Roku... what happens when you try to extract particles from the Tesseract?"

The Tharian smiled.

"Oh... I see. So, in the chaos... we get back to the teleport room?"

"Yeah... given that by that time someone will have surely re-activated the nullifier."

"Wait..." Chase said, putting the pieces together, "We're going to create Alminar Gas?"

"Yep."

"Then what are we waiting for? We have the element of surprise. We need to act now!"

"He's right," Roku said, "Come on."

The three of them began to dash out of the room, when Stekvan quickly turned around.

"Now what?"

Stekvan pulled out his pulse cannon, and fired at each of the glass containment chambers. The experiments toppled out, falling onto the metal floor in disorder. Some of them groaned in pain.

The Jaxxod put his weapon away, and then raised both of his arms. The shining cloud of life energy expanded through the room, slowly moving across the many creatures scattered throughout it... and a miraculous thing happened.

Their mutations went away. The experimented genetic code vanished. Their bodies were returning to their normal shape. Their wounds gone... faded and healed.

"You saved them..." Roku said, in awe.

"Never underestimate any circumstance, Roku."

Stekvan pulled out the Dronox short-range teleport that he had stolen, and threw it to the nearest New Tharian.

"Use this to escape." The creature nodded in response.

Stekvan turned around again, and dashed through the door. Roku and Chase were once again right behind him, still trying to grasp what had just happened.

"Okay," Roku said, running through the halls with the other two, "We're on floor 482, and the Tesseract is on floor 499, so we need to find the nearest elevator."

"Are you sure that's where we need to go?"

"It's the energy utilization chamber. The top of the antenna, and the second to last level of the entire building. I'm almost positive that's where they'd place the object if they were trying to utilize its power."

Two Dronox soldiers came dashing around a corner down the hallway.

"Halt!" one of them screamed, "We will show no mercy!"

"Then neither will we," Stekvan stated.

A blast of the same energy that had healed the Tharians in the chamber before exploded from the Jaxxod's form. The three captains didn't even stop running as they watched the two Dronox get knocked backwards by the force of the blast. They were creatures of archon, and the life-force within Stekvan was poison to them.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Chase exclaimed.

The rounded the next corner, moving through a slightly larger passageway.

"The closest undamaged elevator should be straight ahead," Roku said, pointing towards the iris door at the end of the passageway.

"Perfect."

They slid to a stop before the elevator entrance.

"Request access to Elevator 79!"

_Request granted._

The doors opened in a flash of metal.

Roku, Stekvan, and Chase piled onto the glass surface.

"Okay... we're _very_ high up," the human said, looking down through the clear platform.

"Activate voice controls," Roku stated, "Take us to level 499."

_Lift activated._

They accelerated upwards, the holographic screen at the center of the platform slowly increasing in value.

"What do we do when we get there?" Chase asked.

"We move as fast as we can towards the Tesseract, and then we hit it with the extractor."

"Great..."

"We're almost there... 495... Prepare yourselves..." Roku said.

The elevator came to a stop at 499. The hologram disappeared, and the iris door opened. The three captains wasted no time. They sprinted through the opening and into the next chamber.

It took up the entirety of level 499.

While it wasn't as big as the Core chamber, it was gigantic. It was shaped like a massive auditorium, with hundreds of terraces leading from where they were standing down to the circular base. It was in the shape of a stadium, in the way that many rows of seats would lead up to a field, with the great exception being that it was shaped like a massive hexagon, with all the terraces heading towards the circular area in the center of the chamber. All of the metallic terraces were covered in desks, control panels, and advanced computers. This was the central communication center of the New Tharian empire. This was, as Roku said, the top of the antenna. Right in the heart of the room was a pillar of glowing energy, emanating from a hole in the exact center of the chamber.

The energy was coming from the Quantum Core, stretching all the way from the base of the tower, passing directly through the center of every floor, and ending here. All of the Dark Energy seemed to collide with a gigantic receiver at the top of the chamber, which was also decorated with intricate carvings of planets and stars.

It would have been beautiful and perfect, if it weren't for the Grox.

Hundreds upon hundreds of them, scattered all throughout... everywhere.

Walking up and down the terraces, sitting at the desks, examining the energy outputs. All of them working for the glory of Agriath... mindlessly following his commands.

"Now, Stekvan!" Roku exclaimed.

The three of them dashed down the staircase just before them, which in essence was just a straight portion of the terraces devoid of desks and panels.

It wasn't long before they were noticed.

"Intruders!" one of the Grox screamed.

"Halt!"

"There is no escaping us!"

The dark species was moving towards their position, surrounding them like a swarm. A hungry look was on all of their faces. Dronox, Insectrox, and even a few Mites were moving into the chamber, pouring in from the many iris door entrances. Their escape chances were dwindling at a rate way beyond desirable.

"Ah ha! I knew it!" Roku shouted, pointing towards a shining object within the pillar of dark energy, "The Tesseract!"

Stekvan saw the glowing device, and smiled.

The Grox were still pursuing them.

"Stop this instance!"

"There is no point in trying to escape us!"

"Resistance is futile!"

Seconds later, four Insectrox blocked their path, having jumped out from two unseen terraces just in front of them. They were almost to the center of the chamber.

"Prepare to die..." the Insectrox hissed, its pincers clicking in a greatly horrifying way.

"About that..." Roku said.

"You might want to run," Stekvan added, with a confident tone.

The creatures surrounding them were confused.

Stekvan primed the Particle Extractor, aimed it at the Tesseract, which was shining and shifting at the center of the chamber, and fired.

When the goo-like substance that blasted out of the devices barrel impacted the Tesseract... all hell broke loose.

Pure Chaos.

Alminar Gas was streaming everywhere. It was an explosion of toxic air. Not even the Grox could find this substance habitable. It was beyond archon. It was deadly to _everyone_.

Except those who had breathed earth air... and survived.

The green gas immediately obscured everyone's vision, expanding to fill the chamber in seconds. While the three captains couldn't see what was happening, they could hear it perfectly fine.

The hundreds of Dronox, Insectrox, and Grox were screaming in pain, the Alminar Gas infiltrating their immune systems with unbelievable efficiency, and targeting the neural control centers of the brain, aiming to destroy the connections within it. Roku and Chase had experienced this before... and it wasn't pleasant.

These Grox, however, we're not going to survive.

"We need to keep moving!" Chase shouted.

The three of them continued to sprint down the terraces, having to jump over occasional bodies.

"Okay... we need to..."

BAM.

Roku was about to finish his statement, when completely without warning... everything went black.

He couldn't hear. He couldn't see. He couldn't feel. Everything was gone... all senses. He simply had his consciousness. It didn't make any sense.

There was nothing.

A voice filled Roku's mind. He knew who it was. A strange, feminine voice containing nothing but malice.

_"Did you really think you could just barge in to level 499 and take the Tesseract? How foolish are you?"_

"I don't know, Veara.. how foolish am I?"

_"You pathetic creature. You fell into our trap. The only way we could protect the Tesseract. A field placed around the center section of the level. A Psionic Bomb... as some call it. A consciousness destroyer."_

"What? I'm obviously still here?"

_"You survived because we wanted you to. Your mind has been separated from your body, that is all we have done."_

"Why? Why didn't you just kill us? That's all you've ever wanted to do from the start!"

_"We realize... that we can use you now."_

"Use us?"

_"Now... drift back into unconsciousness... that's it... fade away..."_

"No... I won't..." Roku spoke into the nothingness, "I won't let you..."

_"Fade back into sleep. Fade..."_

"No..."

But he was gone.

* * *

Roku opened his eyes.

"Aw crud..."

He could not believe where he was. Of all the places... of the entire planet of Thar... this was where he was.

Level 500. The top of the Citadel.

This was the pinnacle of New Tharian architecture. It was directly above level 499... for obvious reasons... and it was, unlike the rest of the Main Control Tower, open to the air.

It was jaw-droppingly stunning.

The final story was much smaller than the rest of the levels they had visited up to this point, as the entire Tower was constructed with a slight inward curve, so that the lowest level was the largest, and the top, where they were, was the smallest in diameter. Well... the top level was actually _much_ smaller than the rest, as directly below level 500 was a massive Dark Energy converter. That was where all the energy from the Quantum Core funneled into. The very top of the Tower, and the broadcaster and receiver of every signal in the empire. The receiver was shaped like a gigantic cone, curving inwards faster than any other level... making the very top of the citadel... no larger than 50 feet in diameter.

In fact, there were no railings. No blocks. There was no visible force preventing anyone from simply walking to the edge of the final story, and jumping off.

Well, there were 4 pillars extending from the sides, each placed in the four main directions, north, south, east, and west. They served as a final antenna... and they also looked kinda cool. They extended a good 20 feet upwards from the edges of level 500.

Roku remembered the purpose of this final level. It wasn't to have anyone be here. It wasn't for work. It wasn't for anything but housing the Tesseract. The four pillars were also hover-controllers, holding the Tesseract in place... high in the sky of Thar... broadcasting its powerful energy across the entire empire.

It looked as if... it had finally been returned to its home. The Tesseract was hovering 10 feet in the air, right in the center of level 500, shining and shifting with glorious power.

That was the only beautiful thing they saw.

The metal below them was dark and foreboding, having been constructed of nothing but solid tritium. But that was the least of their worries.

Roku had noticed immediately... he couldn't move. He was bound by a Kronon energy belt... a nearly unbreakable band of energy that tied him to a solid rod of tritium that stuck up out of the metallic floor. His arms were tied behind the rod... and there was nothing he could do to escape. It was just like before... way back on Kepla-2, when they were unable to move due to some strange paralytic technology... something similar was being used here. It had to be... as Roku found himself incapable of moving any part of his body... other than his lungs, head, and neck.

On his right was Stekvan, bound to another tritium post, equally trapped. To his left, Chase, greatly confused and worried.

Looking past the human, Roku could see over the edge of the tower, out and over the entire city. The sun had set. Night had fallen... and the city was only visible due to the street light forming a brilliant... almost maze like... network of lights on all sides of the Tower.

But before them... that was what made them cringe.

On the far side of level 500, on the other side of the Tesseract... was the Grand Master.

He stood on a slightly raised platform... with his arms crossed, and smug look on his face. He had finally captured his worst enemies. Archon energy swirled around his form. It was a translucent cloud of darkness... and everything around him... seemed colder. Darker. Full of hate. He corrupted all those he was near. The ultimate evil.

On his right, below the platform, was Alan. He was also smiling, looking at the three prisoners with an expression of glee. It was finally going to end.

On the Grand Master's left... was Veara. She stood there... hateful, angry, and in no mood for any tricks being pulled by the captains... the same captains who had evaded her grasp time and time again. It would end today.

Further to Veara's left, standing at a much lower height... but in no way any less threatening than the rest of their enemies... was Civet. The commander of the Grox... the one who had taken the corrupt empire to its fullest extent. The one who had conquered millions of planets. One of the great destroyers of worlds. Even before Veara, Alan, and the Grand Master... he was one of the most feared beings in the galaxy.

They were all here. Every last one they had feared. All of their enemies... all of the beings of archon.

Add that to the fact that _at least_ twenty Dronox were positioned around the edges of level 500, all of their Pulse Cannons primed and aimed directly at the captains.

They were in a hopeless situation.

"Your time has come, Roku... Stekvan... and Chase," the Grand Master hissed, no less evil than ever before.

Roku raised his head to look at the dark entity.

"Every time we have encountered each other..." Roku said, taking deep breaths to keep up his energy, "We have escaped. You try so hard to kill us... but it never works."

"You say that now... but look where you are! The top of the Main Control Tower... and without any escape. Oh... I have waited so long for this moment. And it's not about you three! Oh not at all! It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we have captured you at last!"

Stekvan looked slightly confused.

"Then what does it have to do with?"

The Grand Master smiled, stepping off his platform, and moving towards the center of level 500.

"That..." he said, pointing one of his long arms towards the shining Tesseract above him, "Is the bane of my existence."

"What?"

"So many years... so many eternities... waiting for the perfect moment. I try so hard to gain glory and power... and then they squander it with THAT device! How dare those humans!"

None of the captains had a clue of what he was talking about.

"Now... you're just being ridiculous," Chase said.

"Is that so?"

The Grand Master took a step back, moving out from under the glowing object.

Without warning, the captain's restraints vanished. The Kronon bonds disappeared. The Tritium posts retreated almost instantly into the ground. They were free.

But not for long... within seconds they were hit in the back by an inconceivably powerful force. A blast of kronon energy... a shield being created and destroyed directly behind them. It felt like being hit in the back by a car... being thrown forward with great speed.

The landed on the metallic surface, rolling to a stop.

They were underneath the Tesseract now, directly below the object they had been trying to regain for so long now.

Then... another force field.

In a circle, probably 10 feet wide, a shield extended around the captains. An impassable barrier... preventing them from escaping. It encompassed not just them, but the Tesseract above them as well. It then curved around the top of the shining cube, and then closed off.

Within moments, the force field became transparent. While they were no longer able to see it... its power remained evident. One simple touch of Roku's hand to 5 feet in front of him was all the proof he needed to know it was still there. It rematerialized right as he touched where it should be, shocking his hand, forcing the Tharian to pull back.

The Grand Master was laughing.

"Shouldn't you... of all people know about your own technology? That's New Tharian tech, invisible force fields."

"Interesting topic..." Stekvan stated, moving up as close to Dimitri as he could, "How did _you_ get hold of Psionic bomb? That is _Jaxxod _technology. Not even the Grox have mastered Psionic energy to that extent!"

"We discovered it in a far off, enclosed archive," Veara explained, no less evil in her tone, "Deep within the catacombs beneath Xorgo. Technology we would not have known existed if it weren't for our glorious god."

"We serve him only," Alan added, "We follow only his commands."

"For the glory of Agriath!" Civet finished.

Chase was done with everything.

"I've had enough!" the human exclaimed, moving as close to the edge of the force field as he could, "Alan! You are not evil! What has come to you? What has come to ALL of you? Veara... there is no way you could start out like this... Civet... all the Dronox... all the GROX! The darkest species in the galaxy... I may not have been a captain for that long, but there IS one thing that I know. We all have a choice. A choice to choose hate... or a choice to choose..."

"Don't give me that nonsense..." Alan stated, interrupting Chase as he stepped forward. Chase's brother was no more than foot in front of him, both of them on opposite sides of the kronon barrier. "I know you Chase. I taught you everything... And there is nothing that you can do to stop us. Choosing... what is it you were going to say? Love... Light... Hope? All of those die in the darkness! Don't you see... Agriath was the beginning, and he shall be the end!"

"Well then," Roku said, pushing Chase back a little, "What is that you have brought us here for? Why did you say that you can use us?"

Alan smiled, and moved back to his original position.

"We have all gathered here today, to see the opening of the Quantum Gateway. Today... today is the day that I at last finish my creation. Today the darkness returns to the world. This will be successful..." Alan explained, not faltering on any of the syllables.

"The what?"

"Tell me, Roku! What do you believe the purpose of the Tesseract to be?" the Grand Master questioned, the archon around him swirling in a hypnotic manner.

"Transforming species... making them stronger."

"Ha... foolish mortal. As if that was the truth. It is far more glorious than you can imagine. Guess again... pathetic being."

"Empowering the humans... and bringing down other species."

"Yet another secondary objective of what you once called the hypercube. This device was not constructed for trivial tasks like that..."

"Then what _was_ it for... 'great and almighty one?'" Stekvan added, with great amounts of sarcasm on the last statement.

"It was never meant for anything that you imagined... It came into the Epsilon Universe billions of years ago, streaking though, beyond the laws of the multiverse. It should not have come here. Unnatural, unstoppable... and ready to blow this Universe way off the natural course of evolution."

"It was never meant to strengthen energies... like Archon," Civet stated, drawing the captains attention to the side, "That was a side effect of its radiating power."

"While it did strengthen those who had breathed the oxygen on Earth..." Alan said, his face expressionless and cold, "That was only to make sure that it got in the right hands... the _only_ hands that could execute its true function... the _only_ species that could understand the encrypted message of how to construct the Gateway."

"And..." Veara spoke up, moving the captains eyes to the left again, "Its legendary ability to greatly advance a species... why... that was _only_ to make sure that the species that received it... would be powerful enough... and technologically advanced enough... to execute its _true_ purpose."

"But _WHAT?"_

The Grand Master moved right up towards the kronon barrier, opening his lips... an expression of joy on the cold face. He enjoyed relishing the moment of the captains unknowing... of their stupidity.

"It... my foolish captains... is a travel machine. An inter-dimensional portal creator... sent to this Universe with one purpose, re-establishing a connection with the Universe it came from."

The captains were stunned. Stekvan, who had spent most more time than anyone else questioning the purpose of the device, was in the most awe.

"It requires great amounts of power to execute this function... Fourteen Xetons of Dark Energy were needed, hence the construction of the many generators. Don't you see? What we've been trying to accomplish all along?"

"No we don't... actually..."

"You will soon discover for yourselves. You will be our test subjects. For you see... the method of Quantum Entanglement... the method of inter-universe travel that the Jaxxod once used... is far less inefficient than this method. The Tesseract does not rip holes in reality... but there is no need for me to explain any of this to you. You will learn everything in Tetradon."

"In what?"

"Execute the power algorithms!" the Grand Master commanded, "Open the Gateway!"

The tower below them began to rumble. It was similar to an earthquake... tectonic disturbance across the whole city.

The Quantum Core ran on geo-thermal power... and the Grand Master was upsetting its stability by an unheard of amount.

"Dimitri you're insane!" Roku shouted, "You're risking this entire planet just to power up some portal?"

"No, I'm not, actually," the dark entity responded, "Your very best engineer made sure of that..."

"What have you done... Agriath!"

"I have done nothing more than what was destined!"

Then, it began.

Looking out and over the edges of the tower, they could see the 13 remaining generators, scattered throughout the dark horizon, organized in a perfect circle around the Main Control Tower. All of them exactly like the one they had destroyed... ready to power Agriath's dark plan.

It happened in a flash. All 13 generators began shining a bright blue color - the energy that was passing through their power management systems rocketed out through the top of every spire... moving towards them. Thirteen solid beam of Dark Energy were blazing through the skies of Thar, all converging on their position.

But in reality... they all impacted the Dark Energy converter, the great energy receiver just beneath level 500.

Roku knew what was happening now.

If anyone was in the city of Alyxia, looking up at the Main Control Tower, they would have been dumbstruck. Thirteen beams of light were shooting out from a perfect circle around the Citadel, moving towards the top of the Tower in one nearly inconceivable cone. The converter at the top of the tower was shining, radiating power all through the sky. But that wasn't all... fourteen beams of light were moving down from the top of the tower... somehow enclosed within its surface, yet so full of energy, that the photons were passing right through tritium metal. Unstoppable power. Unbelievable energy.

All of the dark energy was funneled down to the base of the tower, passing right through the fourteen conduits that Roku had witnessed in the Core Chamber. They arced right into the Quantum Core, overloading its power in milliseconds. The shield strained. The energy of the core was beyond anything safe. The singularity was drastically unstable. One mistake, and the algorithms that Harko had created to manage the power outputs would fail... with drastic consequences.

The energy from from within the Core... blasted upwards, pulsing through all 500 stories of the Main Control Tower. It moved through every level... every power conduit... every last piece of equipment... ascending back towards the energy converter. They had created a power conduit loop. An infinite Xeton relay. The moment the Dark Energy re-collided with the converter, it became nearly impossible to pay attention to anything else.

Roku could see bright energy expanding form all sides of level 500, blasting out from the converter just below them. And then he noticed something else. The surface beneath them. The metallic circle that the force field was enclosing... was shining in power as well. It became impossible to see the ground beneath their feet... it was radiating light.

The great power emanating from beneath them made it much harder to make out the forms of their enemies.

"What is this? What have you done!" Stekvan shouted, greatly frustrated at his position.

"You're about to witness something that no mortal in all of space-time has ever witnessed. You... are about to pass through the Quantum Gateway... never to return."

"Excuse me?"

"The Tesseract will remain here, but we will cut off its power until the time has come for it to be utilized again... you will trapped where we send you. You... should thank me. We have shown mercy on your pathetic souls. You will at least learn the truth of this device before the end of everything."

"The end of everything... really?" Roku exclaimed, "Is that what you think is going to happen?"

"It's what I've always known is _going _to happen! Now, gaze into the depths of the Tesseract!"

The powerful object was descending, now on the same level as the three captains. Its power... its radiance... its glory.

Roku stared into its depths. It was infinitely complex... infinitely amazing. He could barely make out its form... a perfect cube... with another nested inside... shifting... changing.

Then... the energy all around them exploded upwards, breaking through the top of the shield... and forming a single column of energy extending directly into the sky.

A citizen of Alyxia would have witnessed a single expanding circle of light, exploding from the top of the Citadel, along with the creation of a ray of dark energy, extending further and further into the sky. Not just the sky... but into the atmosphere... and into space.

Roku, Chase, and Stekvan could no longer see any of the people around them. They were blocked off by an impassible wall of light, constantly moving upwards. It was a passageway of energy... a hollow tube extending upwards for what seemed forever.

They looked back at the Tesseract, it was shifting again... but this time, they understood its movements.

A 4th dimension, and inconceivable notion to all those in Epsilon, was breaking into the minds of the three captains. They saw it, a fourth spacial value. Another line... another direction. Beyond, length, width, and depth... a fourth variable. A dimension that had been wrapped up and compressed inside the hypercube... inside the Tesseract... they understood now.

That was what powered the Alminar.

That was what powered the advancing of species.

It's why it was so hard to understand.

So hard to comprehend.

It as a fourth dimension, another line, contained infinitely in the Tesseract. That was a tesseract, a hypercube, a four-dimensional cube.

They understood now.

They began to accelerate. They were flying. They were no longer on level 500... they were far above it. Their bodies were floating and speeding through the tunnel of energy. Lights, colors, sounds that they had never heard. They moved up and through Thar's atmosphere... far beyond the limits of gravity. The opaque quality of the tunnel faded, and they could make out objects beyond the veil.

They were gone from the Pyles system, and they were moving through space way beyond the speed of light... beyond anything feasible with any technology ever established in the Epsilon Universe.

They were streaking through the vacuum of space... beyond the Aeron Galaxy... beyond all of their experience. They saw millions of galaxies fly by their view, passing through their mind in a glorious symphony of colors and dimensions.

They passed through the nebulae and the exploding stars... they passed beyond any of the Jaxxod's exploration. Nothing could stop their course. Nothing.

They were in deep, deep space. And before them... was the portal.

The same one Roku had seen in Stekvan's memories. The shifting whirlpool like field of blue power that had blasted into existence those many years ago... the portal that had brought the Tesseract to their world.

They were about to pass through it.

And so they did.

Light, Sound, Sense, Soul, Mind, Psionic, Dark, Archon, Name, Being, Love, Hate.

All of it jumbled into a complex of nothing. Their was nothing. There is nothing. There is everything... and always is... forevermore.

Everything made sense and didn't all at once.

They were nowhere and everywhere. They were passing through the fabric of Epsilon. Out and beyond mortal comprehension. The Tesseract was powering their journey into the beyond.

Everything disappeared and reappeared... gone and back. Colors beyond light.

Then... it was gone. Just dark.

All of existence had vanished. There was nothing but silence. No anything.

Gone.

* * *

_And to all of you who were wondering... no, that wasn't the climax. This story is about 75% of the way done, and while that was a very significant plot point, it wasn't the end of the story by any means. Trust me... when that time comes... it will be unmistakable._

_Anyway, thanks again for sticking with my story. And please, if you're reading this right now, then leave a review, because it really lets me know that people care about this story and want me to continue. And with a cliffhanger like that... I would be reviewing like crazy!_

_-njkilleen_


	32. The Tesseract

_I'm just going to stop apologizing for the delays. Regardless, ENJOY THE CHAPTER!_

_This one reveals a lot, by the way._

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**32:** THE TESSERACT

* * *

In the beginning... there was the dark.

There was nothing but the dark.

An endless expanse of zero dimensionality, of zero life, of zero soul, of zero substance.

Not the void, not of archon, not of anything. It was just nothing. An absolute nothing.

This was Agriath.

This was the being which was nothing, and everything.

The being that had no life, but all of eternity at once. The origin.

Then came the light, a power that came into be from nothing. The Source. The truth.

It blew into formation. It created substance. It created life. It created dimension, realities, universes, galaxies, planets, stars... and all that inhabit them.

And Agriath hated it...

but could do nothing about it.

The deed was done. Agriath was sealed. The multi-verse was here. The dark one, the original one, the truth in his eyes by all means, was powerless.

Light had conquered, for now, for what was, and forever.

Would it last?

Could it last?

Could a nothing last forever?

If there is nothing, and one thing is something, does that not give the something infinity?

Is... is there any purpose to everything?

The sentient mind rambles on forever. The answer seems to lie in the complexity of the multi-verse.

The unending complexity.

The unending reality.

The unending truth.

But in this perfect expanse... darkness would come again. It would take back its throne of power. It would take back its control over everything... and make it nothing. Every destruction was a victory to the dark one... and every life was a loss. While the source... the great light... seemed gone. Where would such a power go? Had it ever existed?

In the greatest dark of all, when the object known as the Tesseract came crashing into Epsilon... an entire new series of events was set into motion. A simple experiment gone horribly wrong.

Doomed from the start.

This was what was happening. A tale that unfolded the complexity of infinity. The tale that foretold the disasters forevermore, and the foolishness that lead up to it. The tale that saw life at its most memorable hours... and life being eradicated in masses. The only tale that has ever been told in infinity. The tale that echoed beyond the bounds of reality.

The tale of tesseract.

* * *

"Roku... open your eyes."

The tharian had no idea where he was. He could feel no gravity... and no inertia.

His mind told him no, but he listened to the voice near him.

He opened his eyes.

They were in a tunnel. A single extended cylinder of nearly clear energy, forming into beautiful strands of swirling light. It was purely amazing.

But beyond this tunnel, he saw something beyond description. Beyond his minds ability to perceive. Beyond anything mortal or bound by time.

The hyper-flux of everything.

It was a sea of energy, stretching forever in all directions. Occupying the abyss of power were shifting collections of cloud-like substance. All around them. Larger than there form by measures beyond googleplex.

Universes. That's what they were. Existences, all around.

These universes were encapsulated by morphing bubble-like fields. An indescribable sight, with unending beauty. Majesty immeasurable. This was the multi-verse. This was the complex of reality. Sparks of light arced between the existences, crossing the plane of nothing, and entering another. They were all bound together by an unseen force. All of the Universes held together in a sea of everything.

Roku, along with Chase and Stekvan, were moving through the tunnel with unparalleled speed, but felt nothing. They moved across distances, crossing the fabric of reality with ease, as if nothing could possibly hope to stop them. They were not standing upright. Their bodies were hovering in the exact center of the tunnel, following its unseen course - their forms suspended in zero-gravity.

They could see... what only ascended ones were given the permission to gaze upon. This was the complex of dimensions... the complex of universes.

Beyond their apparent energy tunnel... was the expanse of realty.

Creation itself.

"This... this can't be..." Roku said, his words failing him. The sight kept him in an inescapable state of awe.

"I've never seen anything so... amazing," Chase said, his face moving around, looking towards the expanse in every direction.

The energy tunnel seemed to be generating itself, flowing outwards from a glowing light-source no more than 10 feet in front of them. That is, if length had any meaning in their current location. Strands of light fell from the source, moving around the forms of Stekvan, Roku, and Chase.

Looking behind him, Roku could see that the tunnel dissipated in the distance. This power... this energy... was burrowing through reality. It was performing a technological feat far into unimaginable realms.

"Agriath said... the Dark Hollow was the realm between universes..." Roku stated, still contemplating what was happening, "Is that where we are?"

"I cannot be certain... but I don't think so," Stekvan responded.

"How?"

"It is believed the hollow is the essence of nothing. And if I know anything about what we are seeing... this is _everything_. Just look, those are universes, some with more spatial dimension than ours. More than just length, width, and depth..."

"What the Tesseract was..."

"How are we even able to perceive them?" Chase asked.

"We can't... not fully anyway. Those universes show up in the same complex of energy. If I am even partly right... than this unbelievable majesty that we are witnessing... is less than one thousandth of a percent of the full glory of the multiverse. This is just what our brains can process. There... there is much much more..."

Their bodies accelerated, blazing past another cluster of universes. There was no apparent light source... but visibility was everywhere. Indescribable.

"This is the place where the ascended ones dwell..." Roku said, coming to a realization, "This is an exponential step in complexity that puts every scientist in Aeron to shame..."

"Believe me... I know..." Stekvan said in response.

Existences flew in and out of their view. How many lifeforms had they passed by? How many super-clusters... how many galaxies? How many stars? How many planets? The numbers were endless and uncountable.

"The reason these universes look like massive clouds... they... they aren't clouds at all... they're super clusters of galaxies," Stekvan realized, "...expanding in all directions. Within each one of these universes is an essentially limitless amount of space... we're passing through a realm of existence far beyond inaccessible... this is impossible..."

They were approaching one universe in particular. It was smaller than most. It was... tearing... if that was the right word.

"What...?" Chase said, in confusion at the sight before him.

The universe was tinted a light red-ish color. The cloud-like structure of its galaxies was distorted. More sparks of light seemed to be arcing off of this universe than similar ones around it.

"Is that...?" Roku tried to say.

"I have a feeling were about to find out..."

The existence drew closer. The clouds were engulfing their view.

They impacted the fabric of the universe.

Chaos once again.

Everything and nothing.

Dark and Light.

Another direction.

Another understanding.

Another plane.

Beyond Length.

Beyond Width.

Beyond Depth.

A fourth dimension.

Everything they had known... meant nothing.

They were in Tetradon.

* * *

WHAM.

"What... where are we now?"

Below them was metal. A cold and solid piece of titanium. Their senses were dizzying. Their mind was confused... trying to adjust to something it could not describe.

Roku was the first to stand up. He rubbed his eyelids and opened them. This day just kept getting stranger.

Around them was 6 metallic rods arranged in a perfect circle. A swirling field of energy was dieing down, somehow being generated the rods whose purpose was yet unknown.. They were indoors somewhere... obviously in a building constructed by a civilization of high caliber.

The surface below them was definitely titanium, with multiple target symbols etched into the floor. Past the 6 rods was the rest of the room... a simple chamber in the shape of a slightly distorted hemisphere. The apex of the chamber was probably 30 feet above their heads, and the distance from the new arrivals to the edge of the chamber was a good 40 feet.

The three captains were breathing hard. Stekvan and Chase were standing now as well. But... as the ringing in their ears subsided, they heard applause. Lots of applause

They're was people all around them... humans standing just beyond the circumference of the six rods. They were clapping with great happiness, with excitement and success prevalent on their faces.

Shouts of joy could be heard all around the room; phrases flying left and right across the chamber.

"We did it!"

"Project Tesseract was a success!"

"Two hundred and seventy-four years of hard work finally paid off!"

"It's true... we brought them here... and they're alive too!"

It was a chaos of exclamation.

After a few moments, the applause and excitement calmed down. It was silent for a few moments, and then...

"Welcome..." a voice said.

The three arrivals turned to face the voice. It was a human.

He was male, dressed in a long white lab coat, and standing just beyond the area enclosed by the of the six rods.

"And you are...?" Roku asked, standing tall.

"Professor Anson of the High Research Facility of Tetradon - Original inventor of Quantum Entanglement technology, founder and leader of this entire facility... and... the creator of the Tesseract."

The captains were shocked.

"These are my colleagues, all of those who helped the most with Project Tesseract. As you can tell... there has been quite a bit of effort put forth into bringing the three of you here," Anson continued to explain, pointing around the room towards the other humans. They also adorned white lab coats, completely clean and perfect-looking. In terms of gender, there was a near 50/50 split between men and women.

"Okay... now I really have no idea what's going on..." Chase muttered in the background.

"Where are we?" Roku asked, trying to learn as much as possible.

"The Tetradon Universe. Approximately 3 mega arc-lengths away from your universe, known as 'Epsilon.'"

"A little more specific?"

"Tetradon Research facility... the only civilization left in this existence... sustained in a gravity well in continual and stable orbit around the space-time schism known to us as Pandora's Rift."

"For your information, that didn't help me at all."

Anson laughed a little. "I figured it wouldn't. You're about to have quite a bit taught to you... so I would just take a deep breath for now."

Roku took a few steps forward, but was stopped in his tracks. A harmless shield became visible as Roku's hand impacted it. The shield seemed to be sustained by the six rods around them.

"What does this whole device do...?" Roku asked, looking around at the raised metal floor below him.

"It acts as a receiver and guider for those entering this universe through means of the Tesseract. It also creates that little shield you just touched... just for safety reasons. We couldn't be completely sure what was going to come flying out of the rift."

"Right... then... could you... I don't know... lower it now?"

"We're still running a biological scan on the three of you. Once we have confirmation that no archon energy is present within you... we will lower the shield."

Stekvan took the opportunity to ask his own question, moving up towards the edge of the circle that they could move around in.

"What... do you know of Agriath?"

All of the scientists became silent. The happiness on their faces was wiped away almost instantly.

"The deity of death who roams the realm between worlds... consuming those who think foolishly. We have much to tell you... creatures of the third dimension."

"Third what...?" Chase stated.

Another female scientist stepped up next to Anson, whispering something in his ear.

"Yes, yes. I know. I'm sure it's not a problem."

"What is it?" Roku asked.

"The three of you are clean. Now... we can lower the shield and give you an actual explanation."

As he spoke the words, the energy barrier vanished.

"So... we really would like to know where we are."

Anson took a deep breath. "Right... yes... sorry. It's just... it seemed as if the project had been a complete failure. Everyone was completely in shock when the three of you materialized through the rift... It's simply amazing."

Anson adjusted a few controls on a wrist-strap device, just before dropping his arm back to his side. Once he was done with that, he said, "Activate hologram display system... media equals 4th dimension explanation."

A greenish shape filled the area between the three captains and Anson. It was a line, a shape with only length. One dimension. The other scientists watched with interest as the professor began to explain one of the most hard to comprehend topics in the multiverse.

"Let's start from the beginning..." Anson explained, looking at the hologram along with the three captains, "We have a line. Only one spatial dimension. A square has two dimensions... a cube, three... and a tesseract?"

"Four?" Chase responded.

"Precisely. They're are many universes adrift in the cosmic sea of hyper-existence. This ocean of worlds is not bound by time or dimensions. Any number of spatial values can exist in the same plane of reality. Some universes have two, some three, and even four."

"Four spatial dimensions?" Roku questioned, "How's that possible?"

"Yes... now, I'm sure the races of which the three of you come from all have theories about higher dimensions."

"The Jaxxod did have quite a bit of trouble coming to a conclusion about that. Regardless of how advanced we had become... we could not comprehend an extra line... an extra axis."

"And of course... that's because your brain was born three-dimensionally, it cannot comprehend a 4th spatial axis... beyond length, width, and depth," Anson continued, "Like I said, many creatures in lower dimensions have theories, and many are quite close. But... no matter how hard they try, no matter how much technology they amalgamate... they won't be able to fully understand life in a higher dimension. The only natural way to accomplish this is ascension. I'm sure you know a little about that."

"Yep."

"But that's not what we're here to talk about. This explanation deals with dimension number four. Picture this line. How do we form a square?"

"Take the line and move it at right angles to itself... a length equal to the length of the original line," Roku stated.

"Good, and this gives the line width. The 2nd dimension. In this case a two dimensional plane was the only way we could move the line to get right angles. Now... how about the third dimension?"

Chase answered this time. "Move the square at right angles to itself an equal length... connecting all the lines like you did before."

"Excellent. So... what now? How do we get to the fourth dimension?"

Now they were stuck.

"Well..." Stekvan said, "There is no direction in three-dimensional space where you could move that cube to get all the angles right angles and all the lines of equal length... connecting the vertices like you did before would result in all kinds of obtuse and acute angles."

"Great... this is easier to explain than I thought it was going to be... Anyway, yes. Now... on to the next model."

The hologram morphed into a flat plane. On it were small shapes. Triangles, squares, pentagons... all moving around on the two-dimensional plane.

"Picture this as a two dimensional universe... no depth whatsoever. Anyway... these shapes are 2 dimensional lifeforms. They're eyes, being on the front of their bodies, can only see in one dimension... just as 3 dimensional creatures only see in 2 dimensions. You may have the perception of depth... but _true_ three dimensional sight would allow you to see all sides of a 3d object at once."

"Okay... now it's getting a bit complicated," Chase said.

"As I was saying, these creatures have no concept of depth. So... if a three dimensional creature were to pass through this 2d plane... what would happen?"

"Just... cross-sections," Roku realized.

"Perfect. Yes, only a tiny two-dimensional slice of the 3d life-form would be visible to the 3d creatures."

This was represented by a holographic sphere descending through the 3d plane.

"Now... if the 2d life-form were to somehow be knocked up and out of his plane... what would it see?"

"What we see," Stekvan pointed out, "The inside of other creatures... all sides of an object. True 2d vision."

"It would be completely blown away by the extra dimension. 'Up' in this case. But the moment it landed back on the 2d plane... it would have absolutely no way of communicating what this dimension was. No direction to point to... no way to imagine it. The third dimension being once again a complete mystery."

Anson smiled, and then continued.

"Now... what may be greatly more interesting... is the other direction in dimensionality. The fourth dimension. Not the x-axis... not the y... and not z. Another dimension that _three-dimensional_ creatures have no way of understanding."

"Wait... isn't... I don't really know, I just remember hearing this back on my planet," Chase began to say, "But isn't _Time _the fourth dimension?"

"Yes and no," Anson explained, "I'm talking about a fourth spatial dimension. In fact... that is one of the easiest ways for people to understand this... yes, okay. Picture time. It's a direction that your universe moves forwards in, right?"

"Yeah..."

"But at any given moment you can only see one snapshot of time. You are living in the present... just a _cross-section _of the entire time-stream of your universe."

"So our universe has four dimensions... technically... but only three that we can move around in?"

"One hundred percent correct. Now... what about a fourth dimensional universe. And I mean, four dimensions of space."

The three captains did not respond.

"I'll take your stunned silence as the inability to picture such an object... such an existence. Well... would it help to say that you're in a 4th dimensional universe right now?"

"Wait... what?" Roku exclaimed, "But it looks just like a regular... or regular to us... universe..."

"And that's the beauty of the Tesseract... it transformed your bodies into four dimensional shapes, but was unable to convert your consciousness. What that means is... your mind interprets the world in three dimensions... regardless of the extra axis."

"Huh?" Chase said, completely lost.

"Tetradon... 'four dimensions' if you want a translation from our language, is a four dimensional universe. We can see all sides of a 3 dimensional object, true 3d vision. We can move across the fourth dimension, and we can draw and cast shadows in three dimensions."

"Okay... now my brain hurts too..." Roku said.

"Don't worry... that's one of the hardest things to comprehend. Don't try and picture the extra line... because you quite legitimately _can't_. But... you can just accept that this world has an extra-line, and you're only viewing a section of it. You _can_ move across this line in full four dimensional space... but... your brain will never be able to fully comprehend and/or remember what it just did. For all extensive purposes... this is a three-dimensional universe to you."

"Okay... I think I get that..." Chase said, thinking to himself.

"But... what about the Tesseract... what is it really?" Stekvan questioned.

Anson laughed.

"Funny name, the Tesseract. It would be like if you sent a 3d cube into a 2d world and called it 'The Cube.' Seems a bit redundant, yeah? Well... I run the place so no one was going to question my naming anyway... besdies, it was glorious in its simplicity. The Tesseract is the term for a four-dimensional cube. It was what we were talking about before. It is formed when you take a cube and move it across the fourth dimension, and connect all the vertices's. With this extra dimension of movement, you can form a shape with all the angles right angles and all the lines of equal length. A four dimensional 'hypercube' or 'tesseract.'"

"But if it's just a shape... then how did it...?"

"The gas? The advancing? The message to construct the gateway? All of that was added into it. We knew that, if it was possible, that if we could compress the fourth dimension into a three-dimensional shape... and then have it present in a lower dimension, it would have an infinite amount of power, as there is no amount of third dimensional space you can multiply by to get just _one_ millimeter of the fourth dimension."

"Say what?"

"With infinite power, we could do whatever we wanted... raise up empires, destroy civilizations. Anything. Think about it, if you could create a device with infinite power, your level of technology does not matter... you can give it any function... and regardless of how much time it would normally take... the infinite capability of the device makes it happen instantly! So... you create a sort of device like the monoliths in your universe. You give it the ability to broadcast its signal decently far, but then you give it infinite power... so now it can broadcast that signal _very very_ far... to everyone of that species. Now, the Tesseract has become a super-monolith, infinitely more powerful than anything three-dimensional creatures could create. Does that last part make any sense to you guys?"

"Barely."

"That's fine, cause that was probably the most complicated thing your going to hear all day."

"I think I understand it... sort of..." Roku said, "So... in recap. We're in a fourth dimensional universe, but perceive it in three dimensions. You created the Tesseract, a device shaped like a four dimensional cube with the ability to create toxic gas and raise up empires... and eventually transport people _here_... but could do so quickly because of its infinite power?"

"Yes."

"But... why? Why would even create such a device... and why would you even send it to our universe... and _how_ in the first place?"

Anson was silent.

"Agriath."

Roku looked towards the scientist with interest. "Agriath?"

"The creature who lurks in nothing. We have been monitoring him for some time... an entity composed of nothing but archon. In fact... we believe that all archon energy _is_ a part of Agriath."

"Yes but what _is_ Agriath?"

Anson didn't answer the question.

"It'll take a little more explanation. But lucky for you... the complex 4th dimensional geometry lesson is over."

"Yeah, lucky for us," Chase said.

"Now we're heading over to the Viewing Annex. That is definitely the most appropriate place for the next explanation. Oh.. by the way, any questions?"

Stekvan, Roku, and Chase were silent.

"I'll take that as a no... Right then."

Anson pressed another button on his wrist-device, the preset teleport coordinates ready to go. Before the three captains could speak up, they were gone.

* * *

The room in which they appeared in was the same tinted color as the one before. It was a mid-range blue, with the overall shape of a pentagon. The walls curved to a point at the highest portion of the ceiling. The walls all around were covered in murals. Paintings that were embedded into the atomic structure of the metallic surface. On the left side of the pentagon shaped wall was a green colored planet, retaining bodies of water and a medium dense atmosphere. Streaming out of this planet were star-ships... heading into the depths of space, the void of which occupied a good 60% of the mural.

Some of the spacecrafts on the mural blazed off into hyperspace, others shot into warp fields, and others simply traversed the great distances of the universe. As the captains eyes moved the rest of the way across the mural, they saw more planets being colonized... more star systems. This painting was depicting the technological evolution of the Humans. For past the star systems were galaxies... the Humans had become a great power in Tetradon... but then it seemed...

Something happened.

At the end of the mural, the colors were smeared. Lines were breaking. The structure was falling apart. Holes seemed to punctuate the mural... it was a mess. This was on the far right... a section of complete disarray.

"And here we are... the Viewing Annex... excellent painting, isn't it? We had our best and most talented artists design this room," Anson stated. The human was standing across from the three captains, his back to the mural. Stekvan, Chase, and Roku were standing side-by-side examining the details of their surroundings.

"Why is it so important that you take us here?" Roku questioned, still a bit overwhelmed at the entire situation.

"This room isn't called the Viewing Annex for no reason... It has one of the best views of Pandora's Rift."

"Of what?"

"I'll need to explain from the beginning... everything from the beginning..." Anson said.

The human stepped forwards, so that he was within 5 feet of the captains. They were all about the same height... the only awkward part being that Roku and Stekvan looked completely out of place. Roku with his talons and feathery wings... and Stekvan with his less than normal cat-like ears and brown colored light fur. By all means, Chase had no idea he was ever going to end up in a situation like this.

For the first time they got a good look at Anson's face. He appeared to be mid-aged for a human, with his messy and slightly long dark-brown hair falling just about wherever it felt like. Slight signs of aging were prevalent on his face... but other than that, he looked in great shape. His untainted white trench coat stretched all the way to the floor, adding to the stereotypical scientist look.

It was then that they noticed another human, standing off to the side of the room, leaning against the distorted portion of the mural. She was a girl, probably in her teenage years... by standards on third-dimensional Earth at least.

"Um..." Roku spoke up, "Not to be rude, but who's she?"

"Oh!" Anson stated, as if coming to an obvious realization, "Cat... I see you decided to come and watch after all?" His attention was obviously directed towards the girl now.

"Of course... why wouldn't I?" The girl that appeared to be dubbed 'Cat' was now moving towards the rest of the group, eventually standing next to the other scientist, forming the group into a small circle.

"Introductions... of course," Anson said, "My full name is Gregory Isaac Anson... and this... well this is my daughter, Catherine Kerra Anson."

Catherine's body was of average height and size, but their eyes were quickly drawn to her exceptionally long and stylized light brown hair, that stretched to just a little below her shoulders. Her skin was of a peach-like color, but most of her body was obscured by her lab coat, albeit a slightly smaller one than her father's. Her eyes were a perfect green, something that Chase caught on to quite quickly.

"Hello, Cathy," Chase said, his voice unintentionally cracking on her name. Roku tried to hold back a laugh.

"Anyway..." the Tharian said, "What happened to the rest of the scientists?"

"They're running remote tests on your biology, at the same time observing you though the surveillance system."

"Okay... and why are they doing that?"

"We need to learn as much as we can about about the two non-human species that came through the rift... given that it seems obvious that the Tesseract has advanced more than just humans... is that not correct?"

"Yes, that would be true."

"Right yes... now... prepare yourselves..."

The lights in the room turned off. It was pitch black now.

It was essentially impossible to see the intricate mural. The captains couldn't see anything.

But then... a holographic grid expanded into existence. The Viewing Annex was now filled from every edge with tiny translucent lines, crossing back and forth in parallel everywhere they could see. The lines even passed through the five creatures standing in the room.

Then... the grid vanished... and galaxies appeared all around them; it was a holographic representation of space within the Tetradon Universe. It was a full surround holographic display system, where the colors were so real, and the depth of field so advanced... that it appeared as if they were floating in space. The five creatures were now standing in the vacuum of space, observing a surplus of galaxies all around them.

"It all started... quiet a long time ago. My ancestors were the first to fall prey to the power of Agriath. Because you see... this universe, Tetradon, is falling apart."

The three captains listened intently, still somewhat taking in the illusion created by the hologram system. None of them could even see the walls of the annex anymore... the hologram's deception was amazing.

"Our empire was spanning across galaxies. We were the great Human Empire... one that not many others challenged. But then it began. The sundering... the day that the fabric broke apart."

"It was Agriath... but no one knew at the time," Cathy spoke up from behind them.

"From that day on... the world... existence began to fall apart. Entire super-clusters of galaxies were consumed by the void. Black holes were popping up everywhere. Empires, stars, planets... our own planet. Our own homeworld. Gone. Most of the Human Empire was consumed by the shadows."

What Anson was describing was represented by the hologram system. Their view began to accelerate through space, passing by large numbers of galaxies... and they were all dying. Of all shapes and sizes, they collided with one another, were ripped apart, or were pulled without mercy into the depths of a super-massive black hole. It was horrifying to watch.

"What... how?"

"It took thousands of years and many many competent scientists to figure that out. Eventually, the fabric that acted as a boundary between Tetradon and the multiverse began to fade... the seemingly infinite space in our universe was being erased into an increasingly small... increasingly dangerous... tiny finite existence. All that is left in this universe... is nebulae, chaos, and dark energy drifting through a vacuum of darkness."

"Then... where are we now?"

"I'll explain. In some of the final hours of actual organized galaxies, the Humans of Tetradon searched all that they could for the source of this destruction... for a reason behind the sudden collapse of this existence. What they found... startled them. In a far off void... there was a region of space so weak... so thin... that it didn't require a great amount of power to rip through. It was perfect. For so many years we had needed an escape from our collapsing world. We had found it."

"But... travel between worlds... between universes..."

"We know now... Stekvan. Trust me, we learned. But at the time we had no choice. It was either watch our world crumble around us... or find a new home. Ascension was not an option. We were running out of time very... very quickly. So... I created the Quantum Entanglement device."

Stekvan looked towards him in interest.

"It was a device that we knew we shouldn't have. We knew that this part of space couldn't be normal... that what we were doing shouldn't be achievable. But deep down... we also knew that everything else happening to our world... couldn't be normal either. The sudden and unexplainable death of Tetradon could not be the product of nature. We had to escape."

"How much energy did it take to make a break through the space-time fabric?" Stekvan asked.

"Nearly 20 Xetons. Yes, quite a bit."

Roku let out a sigh of awe. That was a ridiculous amount of power.

"It took our race..." Stekvan stated, "Just over 34..."

"What..." Anson said, confused, "Your race used Quantum Entanglement?"

"It's not important right now... Just continue with your explanation."

"Very well..."

The hologram zoomed inwards, giving the allusion that everything around them was growing in size. Their view was focusing in a small portion of space. Specs of what was left of galaxies were visible in the distance... but for the most part... there was emptiness everywhere.

They moved far enough in to see something artificial. It was a structure, a device of some sort, being constructed in the vacuum of space. Three massive rings... entwined together, with a multitude of kronon lasers point towards the center.

"That's..." Roku tried to speak.

It was. The structure that they were witnessing bore remarkable similarities to the Quantum Entanglement device Roku had seen through Stekvan's memories. Another version of this device had allowed Agriath to break through into Epsilon... and nearly wipe out everything. It was the bravery of Stekvan and the power of the Arcane Biorod that had managed to imprison the dark one again... so what was this?

It didn't make any sense. Why was there another one?

"As I said," Anson continued, "When we discovered this weak point in space... we tried to build a device that could free us from the collapsing universe. I... I built the designs for this machine... the machine that proved the truth to us. It focuses unbelievable amounts of kronon energy towards a single atom. With this specifically weak point in space... we were able to accomplish what we wanted."

"But at a price..." Cathy added.

The hologram showed exactly what Roku expected. Exactly what the three captains knew was to happen. The Entanglement spheres powered up. Level 1. Level 2. Level 3. All of that energy focused on a single point. And then...

It destabilized. The hologram showed the spheres imploded in a whirl of energy, and then exploding with unstoppable power. Their was little to no difference towards what Roku had seen in Stekvan's memories. But what would happen now...

"We almost lost everything... at that point," Cathy explained, "It was exactly what Agriath wanted. He wanted us to use the entanglement device... for with a rift in space that big... he could... he could tear it open the rest of the way. Agriath could obliterate Tetradon completely."

"Yes..." Roku said, "But you promised to tell us what Agriath _is._ This is information we need to know, trust us."

"We learned soon after this event," Anson said, "Right as the rift began to open... we saw it. While all the nearby research stations were destroyed in that explosion... those far enough away... like me... were able to gaze through the opening. We were able to look through crack... a portal... a broken peace of the continuum. We could see the Dark Hollow."

The hologram represented this. The Entanglement device was gone, but around where it had been... was a distortion. The light was bending... twisting... and disappearing. Archon Energy taking on a red-gaseous form was being expelled from the distortion. The area around it was being obscured by the darkness.

"We had our measuring circuits, computer scanners, and pretty much everything running on full power. We needed to know as much as we could. And we did... We learned something that made me immediately move towards our emergency plan of action."

"And what was that?"

"A series of stars placed in a strategical orbit around our testing site. Gravity dampeners were deployed around them... As a fail safe, if the rift were to become unstable, we could deactivate the dampeners, and the exact orbit of the six stars would counteract the rift's negative gravity..."

"That is brilliant..." Stekvan spoke up, "The six stars, if positioned correctly, would create a gravity well between them. And then, oh of course! You could focus the energy towards the rift, creating a realm of extreme central gravity... but then... with enough power... that could cancel out the negative gravity from the rift..."

"Exactly," Anson continued, "It worked perfectly too. The moment I gave the order, the rift closed. And not a second to soon..."

"Let me take a wild guess here... Agriath was about to come through," Chase stated.

"It was such close call. The moment we closed the opening... there a voice that echoed across the whole area. A single long and drawn out shriek of anger... that was Agriath, enraged at his failure. As time went on... while we may have survived that incident... our universe continued to collapse... faster now than before, at least it seemed. It got to the point where Tetradon was so unstable... that the fabric between our universe and the multiverse hyper-realm... faded even more. Now, no matter where you are in Tetradon, you can look into the distance and see out of this universe."

"We learned so much after that," Cathy continued, "The barrier wall hadn't weakened... it had just become transparent. We could see the other universes. And we learned of the ascended deities."

"Creatures who attain a high enough level of psionic energy in their consciousness," Anson explained, "And desert the physical realm completely. These beings of pure psionic power can leave their universe with ease. It does not involve entanglement, or rips in space-time... just the non-physical passage through reality. We quickly learned that _that_ was the natural way to travel between existences. Not entanglement... that was a trick. A horrible accident. Unnatural."

"Then... did you seek Ascension after that?" Chase asked.

"No... by our calculations, we had a maximum of a thousand years left to exist in Tetradon. That was not enough generations to seek perfect harmony with our own souls. Ascension isn't easy, you know."

"So what did you do?"

Anson smiled. "First, you need to see where we are."

The hologram switched off. The Viewing Annex came back into focus.

Without warning, light flooded the room. It was coming from behind the captains. They turned quickly in surprise.

The one portion of the pentagonal wall that was not covered in the mural... was sliding upwards. As it moved higher and higher, it revealed a large glass window, one that occupied the entirety of that wall of the annex.

But it was what was beyond the glass... that really got them.

They were in a gigantic space station. They could see that now. While they couldn't see the overall shape of it, they could note that they were right in the center of it... or slightly above. It was very difficult to tell. But then... past the edges of the station... was what looked like a nebulae. Well... it seemed as if they were _in _the nebulae. But that wasn't the case... because it _wasn't_ a nebulae. It was a cloud unstable energy.

Rift particles, negative atoms, anti-matter, and even Archon energy. A plethora of the universe's forces. The space outside of the station was simply buzzing with continuous power. The facility had to have some seriously sturdy force fields to withstand the beating from the stream of particles.

And then, at the center of it all... was the rift itself.

Its shape was similar to a crack you would view in a window... but what was around it, was nothing like that. Distorted space. A singularity of archon. The crack itself was shifting and bending... its shape changing just as they looked at it. It was rather far away... relatively it seemed.

"While we were able to close the rift..." Anson explained, "We couldn't _keep_ it closed without constant supervision. We needed to continuously monitor the gravity well, and make sure that the rift did not open again. It is for this reason,that the opening of this crack will result in the destruction of all of Tetradon, that we have named the schism 'Pandora's Rift.'"

There was barely anything in Tetradon visible past the large nebulae-like field of exotic matter. Only tiny clusters of stars littered the dark of space. The cloud itself still had a remarkable similarity to a nebulae, but with elements of fog mixed in. While it did hinder visibility, it was only by a small amount - just like a light fog in the morning.

Except it was made of death energy.

The three captains were still perfectly capable of seeing everything else within the cloud, as well as stuff outside of it. There was a planet in the distance. It appeared to be orbiting within the gravity well also. Looking beyond the cloud, they could see the six stars that held the rift in check. They appeared just as Sol did to the inhabitants of earth. A bright yellow orb hovering in the distance. With all six of the stars orbiting in the way they did... there was no night coming from any direction. It was eternal light. The photons from these stars was bouncing off the metal of the space station in beautiful ways.

And then... past all of that... was the fading fabric of the universe. Just as Anson had said, it was like a horizon of existence. Looking past the nebulae cloud... and all the way outwards, they could see the other bubble shaped existences. They could look past the barriers of this world... and into the multi verse and beyond. The other universes were drifting in mass, with Tetradon part of the infinite complex of reality.

"Wow..." Roku said.

It was a lot to take in.

"Don't stare too long..." Anson said, "Some people legitimately go mad."

"All of this archon energy... why is it here?" Roku asked, curious.

"Pandora's rift, when opened, led not to other universes - it led to the Dark Hollow. You see... we assumed that opening a rift using entanglement would actually create a bridge between universes... how foolish we were. All it did, and all it ever would do, was punch a hole in our universe... opening a portal to the Dark Hollow. All of this archon and exotic energy... is seeping through the rift. We try to contain it as much as we can. But as you can see... yeah it's not working to well."

"Still, what about Agriath?" Stekvan questioned, again.

"With the fabric faded, we knew what he was. Agriath is a creature of pure archon energy. Nothing more, and nothing less. He feeds off of hate and death, and he despises life and happiness. His only goal is to destroy everything."

"Yes, but what _is_ he?"

"The Origin. Agriath is... the void. Agriath is nothing more than what _was_ when there was nothing. He came before everything. He is the ultimate embodiment of..."

"Chaos... death... hate?" Chase attempted to finish for him.

"No... order. Agriath's idea of chaos... is us. Life. Don't you get it? The only true form of order... is nothing. Now, there is a complexity of universes, of galaxies, of civilizations, of wars, of space-travel, of tribal creatures, of instinct, of life, and of death. Agriath wants nothing more than perfect order. The only way to achieve that... is by bringing everything back to the way it was before."

"Nothing."

"Yes, as horrifying as it may seem. Agriath is not physical by any means. He has no dimensions... or anything tying him to reality or time. The Dark Hollow, the existence between universes... is a place of zero dimensionality. There is _no_ space there. Nothing. The Dark Hollow is not completely in reality... it was, as far as we can tell, Agriath's prison."

"But who would create such a prison?"

"We... have no idea."

The three captains turned back around to face Anson and Cathy.

"What did you do then?"

Anson smiled. "We created the Tesseract."

"An object to complete our research," Cathy said, "A device to finally make something of the many years we'd spent traversing our dead universe."

Roku, Chase, and Stekvan moved back towards the other two humans. Chase wasn't quite sure what to make of all this, so he seldom spoke up.

"The concept was simple," Anson said, "We could no longer use entanglement. We needed a new method. We realized that, not taking into account the barriers between universes, all that we where dealing with was massive distance. And we already had an opening to pass through. Pandora's rift, however unstable it may be, could allow us to send things outside of this universe."

"Okay..." Chase said, trying to join the conversation, "So first you bombard us with a whole lotta' information about the fourth dimension, and now your expecting us to understand multi-universal hyper physics?"

Anson laughed. "Basically, yeah."

"But its actually simpler than what you've listened to so far," Cathy stated, "We're not dealing with ripping holes in space-time. This... well this is basic beaming teleportation. That's how you got here. Look at it this way... the thing that is actually impassible, _normally, _is the barrier wall. It's that layer of space-time fabric that wraps around every universe, holding in each ones incredibly large space."

"And then... there's the dimension stacking rule," Anson explained, "Like we said before, you could stack an infinite number of two dimensional universes on top of each other... and then an infinite number of three dimensional... four dimensional. It doesn't matter. The point is, these universes, all of them, are _so intangibly close together_, that it is ridiculous. The Dark Hollow is that invisible thin and zero-dimensional area between two existences. Do you get it now?"

The three captains didn't respond.

"Think about it like this... what you saw when you were flying towards Tetradon in the hyper-tunnel before... was only the tiny _tiny_ portion of the multiverse that your brain could comprehend at any given time. There is legitimately an infinite number of realities placed infinitely close to each other... but then infinitely far away by the standards of that universe's _dimensions_. Does that make sense?"

"We're getting there, don't worry," Roku said.

"But then again... the universes aren't all stacked on top of each other. Keep in mind... we don't even fully understand it yet. We do believe, however, that the placement of them is unpredictable. We can only accept the straight up _insane_ complexity of the multiverse."

"Oh trust me," Chase said, "That's basically what I did five minutes ago."

"So along comes our plans for the Tesseract," Cathy said.

"Your plans, actually, weren't they?" Anson said, looking at his daughter questioningly.

"Well, yeah... the original idea for it. But you actually made the concept a success."

"Anyway, yes. Project Tesseract was something that began here - around Pandora's Rift. The idea was this: If you could create a basic but powerful and perfectly calibrated teleportation device in two separate universes, then you could move between them, _because_ when you think about it, all that your really dealing with is distance into a higher dimension."

"But how could you ever... calibrate... in any way, a three-dimensional teleport to move someone into another universe... how..."

"That's the catch," Anson continued, "We had to have the sort of... master teleport on our end. We needed a universe of a _lower_ number of dimensions. That way, we could calibrate the teleport beam from _our_ end, allowing us to bring the travelers up into our higher dimension."

"Oh... I guess that does make sense," Stekvan realized.

"So, in order put this plan into action, we used the gravity well created by the six stars around here to create a stable orbit for this space station, otherwise dubbed as the 'High Research Facility of Tetradon' or the HRFT... yeah, we're bad with coming up with good acronyms. Anyway, we also have, in orbit just on the other side of the rift, the last life-supporting planet in this universe... Ranau. In our language it literally translates to 'the last life.' There is a small civilization of humans living down there... but overall, there are barely any of us left. We use that planet for resources and a place to go when you can't stand the cold metal of the Research Facility for any longer. What was I talking about again?"

"The Tesseract."

"Ah, right. So... the fact that your universe had one less dimension than ours, gave us interesting and slightly necessary opportunities. In order for our teleport to work, we needed an auxiliary gateway in the Epsilon Universe to launch you here. However, in order for that end of the teleport, or the 'Quantum Gateway' as we later called it... yeah, we like fancy names... required 14 Xetons of Dark Energy power to be plausible as a device capable of transporting you to a higher dimension. _That_ kind of power was not expect-able among common empires. We needed to make sure that the empire that discovered the Tesseract _could _produce that. So... like I explained before, we capitalized on the fact that a 4d object in three dimensions would have an infinite amount of power. We put an evolution enhancing radiation into the Tesseract. We gave it the ability to enhance a race, just like a monolith. But the great power of 4d in 3d, let it do so with unmitigated power."

"But what about the Alminar Gas? Or I mean... the toxic green gas that came out of the Tesseract?"

"We knew only humans could correctly receive the Tesseract," Cathy spoke up, "And we also knew that the pattern for humanity was common across the multiverse. Because you see... things like evolution patterns, mythology, ideals, planet designs... and other such things echo across hyperspace... naturally. That's _why_ there is an entire Human Empire in Tetradon, as well as in Epsilon."

"I see," Chase said.

"We could only send the message about how to construct the Quantum Gateway to _humans_, as when you take our language and relay it in a three-dimensional universe, audio is _extremely_ messed up. So... we had to rely on psionic messaging."

"Sending the message into the receiver's brain telepathically..."

"Exactly. The catch was that we had no idea what the brain patters would be of _any _of the species in Epsilon, _other than_ Humans. We placed the Alminar Gas in the Tesseract as a deterrent, a way to ward off any species that was not Human. After all, a non-human species would simply be advanced greatly, without any knowledge of how to construct the gateway... like the two non-human species standing before me, I'm assuming."

"Indeed," Stekvan said.

"Which by the way, is why you... bird-creature thing... look so much like a human. It was a side-effect of the Tesseract's advancing, as it would slowly template the evolution towards humanity. It wouldn't end up close enough to receive the message, however. We had hoped that any non-humans species who received the Tesseract would quickly discover the equal kronon level of the toxic gas in the _Tesseract_ to the oxygen on _Earth_, which by our calculations, was the same as our Earth home world, before we lost it oh so many years ago. As an added measure, we could then use the 4d in 3d power to strengthen the Humans who did receive it... using a form of genetic transfection with nearby objects of great power... just as confirmation."

"You guys really though this out..." Chase said.

"Oh and there's more. We had to calculate the exact temporal, and galactic coordinates of where we wanted the Tesseract to land. We could get it as accurate as the correct galaxy... but past that... impossible. That's why we truly needed the toxic gas to show where it needed to be. Just to play it a bit more safe, we programmed the Tesseract to home on to nearby worlds full of large life-sign numbers... these generally being an empire's homeworld."

"That makes sense..."

"And lastly, and probably the most important part... we wanted humans here in Tetradon... so that we could form an inter-dimensional alliance. Once you were here, we not only had a viable way to escape our collapsing existence, but another empire just as powerful if not _more _powerful than us waiting in Epsilon. Then... who knows. We could use the Tesseract technology to continue our endeavor out and across to a countless number of universes... but we still had a major problem... Agriath. He was still out there... and... and... there was something more..."

"What?"

"We still didn't know what caused our universe to collapse unnaturally in the first place. Agriath obviously was gaining power, the power to rip apart reality. The dark one was on the verge of success. We were... are... terrified. We had to act quickly. Two hundred and seventy-four years ago, we used an Entanglement cannon to launch the Tesseract through Pandora's Rift. It was small enough to not damage or reopen the tear... but large enough to contain all the functions we needed. Being an object of four-dimensions.. the Tesseract was able to slide through the barrier wall of your universe on the 4th axis, a line of which your universe was not enclosed on."

"That is brilliant..."

"Yes... oh! And this was the message that we programmed it to relay, just in case the two non-humans here haven't heard it yet..."

Anson messed with remote device on his wrist, and then... an audio track began to play through unseen speakers in the Viewing Annex. It was Anson's voice, having been recorded.

_ This is our last cry of eternal help! Reality is sinking into shadows! This is the collapse of all, the end of all! The deities of the void, the creatures of the physical, and the souls of the plain… all gone… all gone. Everything will end, all life… all death… all hope. This is our final chance! We send the Tesseract through the hollow into your existence, hoping to god that we can save what's left of it! Our world is nearly gone! Project Tesseract must advance! For the sake of humanity! For the sake of all life!_

_Humans of the Epsilon Universe, construct the receiving end of our Quantum Gateway. It will require knowledge and technology that the Tesseract will bestow upon you. With this, you can help us rebuild the light of the multiverse, and truth and freedom can shine again. The powers of Agriath are corrupting existence. He wants the power to rip apart reality... and he has almost found it. We can not allow him such a power... or he will destroy everything._

_The Tesseract will allow us to unite. Together, we can travel even further... out to every universe. We can form an inter-dimensional empire... and maybe... just maybe... we can amalgamate enough power to wipe the dark one out forever._

_Please, help us. For the sake of everything. If Agriath is not stopped now... all will be gone._

"After that we included a long explanation of what was necessary to build the Quantum Gateway, as I'm sure you know," Anson finished.

"After we launched it," Cathy said, "The Tesseract locked on to your galaxy... and... well... I'm sure you know the story from there."

There was a drawn out silence, where Roku, Chase, and Stekvan looked back and forth at each other, unsure of how to respond.

"About how long ago, form our perspective... should the Tesseract have arrived in our Universe?" Stekvan asked.

Anson though for a moment. "Hm... given the time-desync between our universes... and our calculations, no more than 20,000 years ago from Epsilon's perspective. We wanted to make sure the Human Empire was there in Epsilon to receive the Tesseract, obviously."

That's when the great flaw in the Humans plan clicked in the minds of the three captains. The Tesseract had not arrived 20,000 years ago, it had arrived 300 billion years ago. There were no Humans then. Earth was still in a kronon lock. There was nowhere for the Tesseract to be received properly.

No Humans equals unnatural advancement...

Unnatural advancement equals unnatural goals...

Unnatural goals equals Quantum Entanglement...

And Quantum Entanglement... equals a repeat of what happened to the Humans in Tetradon.

The Jaxxod.

Agriath breaking through.

Stekvan standing up to the darkness.

The Arcane Biorod... the Master Staff of Life.

Agriath and Stekvan imprisoned in the galactic core.

Another prison for Agraith, that stripped him of his great power.

The Tesseract had _not_ been a success... something had blown its temporal destination, its attempted arrival point in Epsilon's time stream... _way_ off course. The experiment was not a glorious success, like Anson and Cathy believed.

As a French Proverb once said... _"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."_

The Tesseract was an ultimate failure. It _freed _Agriath. And now... now... the Grand Master was plotting his revenge.

The three captains had to say something.

Roku was the one who spoke up.

"Well... about that."

* * *

_Authors Note: Just LOOK at all the backstory that was finally revealed! Hopefuly this chapter makes some sense of all the cryptic comments and mysteries that you've had to deal with over the past 31 chapters._

_Some of you are probably wondering... what on earth happened to Maruck and Arcadia? Well, they're going to be the stars of the next chapter, which will be quite awesome. I'm off to write it right now!_


	33. The Tables Turn

****_I apologize to everyone for how long it took this chapter to be released. To be honest, I, over time, lost interest in this story a little. But then, miraculously, I was reminded how many people enjoyed reading it, and how much my writing skills improved just by producing chapter of this epic story. If you want to see the awesome picture that brought my inspiration back - check out the amazing portrait of Roku that VeeVeeNightingGale made on DeviantART._

_As of now, I am going to return to a faster pace. Although, you have no reason to believe me when I say that... cause I say that every time... but who's keeping score, right? The essential formula is this: More Reviews = Shorter time between chapters._

_Oh... and this chapter has a bit of a hint at time travel. Don't worry, it will not be too terribly complicated._

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

**33: The Tables Turn**

* * *

"Maruck, wake up!"

Darkness.

"No... he's slipping away again!"

**FLASH.**

_ A field of grass. The oncoming sunset. It was peaceful. The world was perfect._

_ Then, without rhyme or reason, extreme pain._

_ The world collapsed. Around him, burning flames, earthquakes, tornadoes, a fury of forces. Before he could stop the world from tearing him to shreds, he was far into the sky, blazing into the depths of nothing._

_ What was happening?_

_ His consciousness was collapsing. How could this..._

**FLASH.**_  
_

Maruck was back in the dimly lit room. He could barely make out the details... just the form of the creature standing over him. A New Tharian. He had seen him before... but he couldn't remember where...

"His eyes are open!" the tharian exclaimed, "Arcadia, I'm going to need the synapse re-starter!"

"Got it," a voice said off to the side. A hard-to-make-out figure began to move around in Maruck's peripheral vision.

"Hang on there, Scorpnak," the tharian stated.

**FLASH.**

_"Wow... that's quite a threat..." Maruck stated, a joking look on his face._

_"You think this is funny?" Civet exclaimed._

_"Why would we not?" Chase said, looking up at Civet, "You're a tiny red gremlin in outer space! I mean come on! I had a hard time taking this seriously at first."_

_"You insult my form! Is that what you are attempting to do?"_

_"That's exactly what we're doing..." Arcadia spoke up._

**FLASH.**

What was happening? Time no longer had a meaning.

**FLASH.**

_"Positions everyone!" Maruck commanded, moving towards the pod, while the rest of the crew circled around were ready to fight to the death._

_The Deltas saw them. Their hungry eyes turned, all 200 of them, stopping their orbit of the pod, and staring down at the four creatures below. It seemed as if some of them were smiling, and if they could, they probably were. The Deltas saw the captains below as simply food, and nothing else._

_The swarm began to converge on their position, spiraling down in a terrifying cloud of wings and fury, much like a swarm of bats on earth._

**FLASH.**

His memories were disappearing. With each re-occurrence his experiences were being wiped away. His life was folding back on itself. Events in reverse...

**FLASH.**

_"But… Primo is… a planet. You're a… wait… what are you?" Maruck asked._

_"Primo itself… is a network of billions of photosynthetic organic life… all linked together in the single most complex root system ever formed. Each tree… became a synapse… in a brain. It all mingles into one vast consciousness. I am Primo itself."_

**FLASH.**

_But he was out of luck. Alan was gone, and the Grox ship was flying off to continue its battle against the Chimera._

_Here he was, stuck in the Chimera Grand Tree, as it burned to the ground. The fire was getting closer and closer, giving Chase and Maruck a maximum of less than a minute to live. That was, of course, assuming that no more burning leaves fell into the now destroyed office._

**FLASH.**

_"I see… but I think the real question is what we did in order to deserve getting thrown onto this burning rock!" Maruck said._

_"We're here to get information on the hypercube. We need to know as much as possible," Roku said back._

_"I already know. I just want to get this over with quickly!" Maruck retaliated._

**FLASH.**

The memories were breaking down, slower... choppier. Things weren't making sense anymore...

**FLASH.**

Everything was flying back. All of the adventures. All of the planets. The battles. The war. The Tesseract.

Pithtish-4 and the malevolent Poppero.

Kepla-2 and the Alminar Gas factory.

Barx and the Chimera Research facility.

The battle for Phrychous and the terror of the planet buster.

Primo's ridiculous mind game.

The ruins of the Amahani on Marksul.

Thar... the Dark Energy Spire.

Everything fell into place.

**FLASH.**

* * *

Maruck gasped and drew in a large amount of air as he fully regained consciousness. The world was coming into focus.

"Thank Spode that worked..." a nearby voice said, "We were almost sure you're mind had drifted off into oblivion."

The scorpnak sat upright, rubbing his eyes and looking around. He was in a small room, no more than 20 feet in length, width, and height. It was a perfect cube in size, the walls an incredibly bland blue-tinted metal with green highlights.

"Slow your breathing, Maruck," the tharian said.

It was then that Maruck noticed his own rapidly raising and lowering chest, forcing his lungs to slow down their movement. His whole body was calmed. It was much easier to focus now.

He noticed that the room they occupied had three beds within it, all attached directly to three of the four walls. Maruck was currently laying on one of them. Across the room, the first thing Maruck noticed was a small room that connected to their own. From what Maruck could see, it contained a shower and the makings of a very basic restroom. Just beyond the bed Maruck was laying in was a desk with a holographic computer monitor. There was a good amount of scratch paper and technological equipment strewn on and around the desk.

Maruck turned his head back to face the tharian next to him. He looked younger than Roku, having a noticeably lighter skin tone and feather color. He recognized him from somewhere...

"Allow me to introduce myself," the tharian stated, "Harko Salikan, member of the New Tharian Council for Advanced Research... and creator of Dark Energy technology."

_That's_ where he remember him from.

"You're _Harko?_"

"Yes... yes I am."

"What are you doing here?"

The engineer sighed. "They needed my skills. And by _they_... I mean the hideous creatures of hate... the ones that call themselves the Grox."

"Yep... that sounds like the Grox to me."

Maruck noticed that Harko had a small flat piece of metal pressed against the underside of his wrist. It appeared to be scanning Maruck and sending the information to the holographic computer monitor, as the tharian was now staring at the display.

The tharian himself was on his knees next to the bed, so that the two of them could talk at the same height.

There was a faint computerized beep.

"Perfect," Harko said, "All body systems stabilized. You're perfectly healthy now."

"What happened?" Maruck asked, swinging his legs around so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his scorpion-like tail curving up behind him.

"Well first... what's the last thing you remember?"

It was all blurry, Maruck had to think hard.

"Being in the Dark Energy spire... fighting a bunch of Dronox."

"I see... Arcadia, you'll have to explain."

The Chimera stepped out from one of the corners Maruck had yet to examine. The four-armed captain looked just about the same, with the exception that all of his weapons, armor, and technology were gone, replaced instead by an exceptionally simple gray top was a simple shirt-like cloth that covered his chest, with holes for Arcadia's four arms. The bottom portion was a pair of gray shorts... made out of the same desaturated cloth.

This prompted Maruck to look down at his own clothes... and sure enough... all of his weapons were gone as well. All that was there was the same bland uniform - a gray shirt, and pants with a hole for Maruck's scorpion tail. Harko himself had the same type of outfit on as well.

Where were they...? Was this a... prison?

"Very well," Arcadia stated, moving a bit closer, "We had a bit of an encounter with Civet at the top of the spire. Thanks to a bit of clever work on the part of Stekvan, we managed to teleport out... but the nullifier was corrected quickly. Stekvan and Chase made it to their destination... but the coordinates slipped for the two of us. We ended up 10 miles east of where were supposed to be. Just as we were running to try and locate where the other two dissapeared too... everything went black."

"Everything?"

"Everything. It was like our minds were simply... shut off. All senses removed. Seemingly seconds later, we woke up here."

"It's that simple?" Maruck asked, a bit surprised.

"Not exactly," Harko stated, standing up and taking a few steps towards the computer, "The two of you were hit by a Psionic Bomb."

Now Maruck was completely confused.

"Psionic Bomb?"

"Powerful and ancient technology. The device can remove the consciousness from the body. They Grox did that to the two of you. Your minds were separated and stored as electrical signals in their database, until being returned to your bodies once you had been transported here. Honestly... its the only way they could ensure two notoriously heroic captains go where they _want _them to go."

"But... if they've had this technology. Why have they never used it before?"

"They haven't had the technology for a while. The Grand Master located it in one of their ancient archives, deep within the catacombs of Xorgo. They just recently attained it."

Maruck was shocked by all of this information.

"But why am I...?"

"Completely exhausted and slightly in pain?" Harko finished, "You were the unlucky one of the three of us. The Grox saw it fit to bring you two to the Kimplemvora Prison, a highly secure and nearly impenetrable fortress built on Thar's moon. They transported me here as well... a few weeks ago actually. Of course, it was after I betrayed their rules and broad casted your call to war to the entire galaxy."

"That was you?"

"Yep. Putting the pieces together, are we? Anyway, after you arrived they took _you_ in for questioning. And by all means, be glad you can't remember it."

"Why?"

"They _could_ simply use a synapse probe to retrieve information from your brain... but the Grox are a brutal and heartless race. Arcadia nor I knows the truth of what happened to you when you were taken away for questioning, just that... that last time I was, it was an experience impossible to forget."

"What kind of stuff do they do?"

Harko thought for a moment, and then responded with a grave tone. "Just imagine your tail skinned and then dipped in burning tar... healed... and then repeated continuously. They will not stop until you answer."

A shiver ran up Maruck's spine.

"I always thought those were just stories told to intimidate lower-class captains."

"Not at all. Once again, be lucky you can't remember it."

Maruck was rather shocked. "But why can't I remember?"

"That's the bad part. If they got to the point where you simply wouldn't give up information the old fashioned way... then they might have simply scanned your mind. Once they were done... they would have erased your memory of the entire event."

"Why?"

"So that you couldn't remember what they discovered."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Nothing. We're stuck here."

Maruck smiled. "Are we really just going to purposefully stay trapped in this prison. Don't tell me neither of you have spent any time planning a method of escape."

Harko and Arcadia looked at each other for a moment.

"Just think about it Maruck. What would we do after that? I understand that you've found your way out of incredibly steeper odds... but what would we do once we were out of the prison? Do you even think we stand a chance against Agriath's forces?"

Maruck was confused. "In what way? We've stood up to that dark deity for quite a while now. Really, I can understand your possible doubts as to a successful course of action, but _you too, _Arcadia? Surely you know that you should never..."

"I don't need to hear that right now. I've had enough defeat as it is."

Maruck was at this point shocked. "What do you mean, _defeat? _This is the first time the Grox have managed to trap us... Your one of the most known captains in the galaxy! And you, Harko, are one of the most famous inventors and engineers as well... how could either of you be so..."

"We were taken in for interrogation as well," Arcadia butted in.

"You what?"

"Before you, we were questioned... and we do remember it. I can't even begin to describe the horrible things that happened. They kept asking us one question over and over. They wouldn't stop... they desperately wanted to know the answer, but I _didn't know it. _I could do nothing to escape, for I did not have the answer to their question."

"Me neither," Harko stated, "And I'm worried now, that if they used the mind probe on you as a last effort... then they could easily have learned the answer."

"What is the question? What did they want to know?" Maruck asked, a concerned look on his face.

"_NO. DO NOT SPEAK."_

A familiar voice came emanating from nowhere, bouncing around the walls of the prison cell.

"What in the name of..." Arcadia said, a bit take aback.

"_DO NOT SAY A WORD. ANY OF YOU. THIS ILLUSION ENDS NOW."_

"Excuse me... but um... who are you?" Maruck asked, anxiously glancing around the room to find the seemingly invisible entity.

"_You know who I am. All that matters now Maruck, is that you do NOT listen to these impostors. They are not on your side."_

Arcadia and Harko had a bewildered expression. "Impostors?"

"_I am calling, just as Stekvan did, to warn you... that you need to WAKE UP. Have you ever had your mind probed for information, Maruck?"_

"No..."

_"Therefore, would you have any experience with what it is like?"_

"No."

_"Then what notion told you that you were conscious right now? What notion stopped you from realizing the truth in this scenario. Its a set up. All of it. From the moment you appeared in this cell you entered a trap. The Grox want the truth. Those flashes of memories just before you appeared here...? That was the preliminary scanning of your memory-stream, to find the information needed to construct a scenario you would accept as true."_

"How can I trust you?"

_ "You can't, you just have to believe me."_

Maruck looked towards Harko. The tharian began to open his mouth, but was immediately cut off.

_"All he will do is state the question."_

"What question?"

_"The information that the Grox are probing your mind for. They need you to think of the answer, and you will only do so if you know what the question is."_

"So... I have to trust an entity I can't see, and I have to not think about the answer to a question that I don't know?"

_"The logistics of the scenario aren't as important as the action that needs to be taken."_

"Are you really going to trust this voice, Maruck," Harko said, a look of surprise on his face.

Maruck thought to himself for a moment. "Would you two agree to _not_ stating the question?"

"You don't even know what it is!"

"Just answer _my_ question."

"We had that sentence drilled into our very soul... we can't help but remember it," the tharian stated.

"You didn't answer my question."

"You're being ridiculous Maruck, all we want to do is..."

_"SILENCE!"_

"This is getting strange," Arcadia said.

Maruck stood up, getting up from the bed.

"Don't Maruck," Harko said, "Your muscle cells are still weak... you won't be able to..."

Maruck felt no pain. He walked across the room and slow spun around.

"I am not injured because I know longer believe it."

"What?"

_"Excellent. You know what to do."_

"This is my consciousness, and you two need to leave immediately."

"Okay, he's gone mad..." Arcadia said.

Harko walked towards the scorpnak, a look of worry on his face... an expression that Maruck quickly identified as false.

"Maruck, you..."

"Leave, Grox."

Maruck raised his arm, and in an instantaneous apparition, Harko disintegrated into smoke.

"Ha... that worked..." Maruck said, slightly surprised.

"What are you doing?" Arcadia exclaimed.

Maruck glanced over at the Chimera.

"Waking up."

The scorpnak threw his arms down, slamming his palms onto the metal surface below. The disintegration expanded everywhere, blasting outwards in multiple shockwaves. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, all of the furniture, and Arcadia himself... collapsed into nothing.

There was just a black void.

And then...

* * *

For the final time, Maruck gasped for air, the fullness of reality returning to him.

And it wasn't pretty.

"He's awake!" a dark sounding voice exclaimed.

Before Maruck had any time to react, a large and powerful hand had slammed into his chest, knocking the wind out of him and slamming his back against a hard plate of metal. It quickly came to his realization that, despite the entire illusion, this was where he had been the entire time.

"Do not say another word, Scorpnak!" the creature above him stated.

It was a Dronox, and a rather large one at that. The brute of a creature was directly in front of Maruck, blocking his vision of anything else. All he could see was the blood red eyes of the hideous Grox warrior.

From behind the creature, Maruck could hear a mechanical door sliding open.

"What happened?" the annoyingly familiar mechanistic Grox voice stated.

"The Mind Probe link... it just broke," the Dronox holding Maruck against the metal stated, "His willpower just shot up tenfold. I cannot explain it sir."

"Impossible! No creature has ever escaped the interrogation!"

At this point, Maruck was quickly devising methods of escape. It came to his attention almost immediately, that the only reason this Dronox was so intent on physically holding Maruck back... was that there was no other form of artificial restraints placed on him.

_"Fantastic, Maruck. You can not delay. This is your opportunity to escape."_

It was that voice again... only this time, he knew who it was.

It was Roku's voice.

"Regardless, master, what do I do with him?" the Dronox questioned.

"You do nothing with me, Dronox - You do absolutely nothing," Maruck said, with a straightforward and cold sounding voice.

And immediately afterwards, ten thousands volts of electricity were sent streaming into the Dronox's cybernetic implants. It didn't even take four seconds. The creature, in complete and utter shock (no pun intended), fell sideways and away from Maruck, releasing his grip as Maruck kicked him away with his now free leg.

He now got a clear view of the room. It was small, the walls were covered in racks filled with rather intimidating Grox interrogation (essentially torture) equipment. It was not pretty at all. Just beyond those walls was an iris doorway. The walls were the same blue-tinted metal - It was the same architecture as in the illusion, meaning only one thing.

He really was in Kimplemvora Prison. That part was not a lie.

The Grox across the room, the one Maruck had heard enter, was frightened and completely unsure of what to do.

Before Maruck could attack, the Grox activated his communication device, shouting into it, "Emergency! Prisoner 2025 has escaped from stasis! I repeat Maruck has escaped..."

That was the last he could he say - before the Grox found another 10,000 volts shorting all of the circuity he had implanted within himself. His eyes rolled back, and he fell to the floor.

_"You need to keep moving, Maruck."_

While Maruck had no idea how Roku was talking to him, he knew above all else that he had to trust him.

Maruck turned around, quickly discovering a long cord protruding from the metal platform that he had been laying on before. Following the strange cord with his hands, he realized that it was, in a surprising manor, connected to him. Maruck reached behind his back to discover a needle on the end of the cord, poking into his spine. There was no question - It was the device the Grox had used to probe through his mind.

"Oh... great..." the scorpnak said, "Okay... just like a band aid..."

He pulled the needle straight out, without a double take.

"Ah! Okay... Okay... I'm good now."

_"Don't be a baby Maruck."_

"And you can shut up!"

At that moment Maruck realized that his clothes were identical to those he had worn within the illusion - the same bland gray uniform. He really had been taken as a prisoner to Thar's moon... and he had been subject to interrogation... to the point where they attempted to probe his mind.

He couldn't wait any longer.

The scorpnak darted forwards, jumping towards the door as it automatically opened. This was his chance to escape. He could not look back.

The hallways were a greenish metal. The New Tharian architecture was evident in all areas of the prison. Maruck knew that the New Tharian Empire built the most efficient, easy to navigate, and architecturally sturdy buildings in the galaxy. There was just one problem.

Maruck had no idea where he was.

_"Left, Maruck!"_

Oh that's right... he had the help of some strange disembodied voice of Roku. How it is sometimes easy to forget things like that.

Without re-considering, Maruck drifted around one of the corners, flying down another hallway. And just to make matters worse... it looked exactly the same as the one before.

"_Now... Right!"_

Maruck had no choice but to listen to the voice.

After rounding the next corner, he came face to face with three Dronox guards.

"Hault!" one of them screamed "By the command of Civet! Stay where you are!"

"Yeah, you wish."

An electrical shockwave went blasting down the hallway. All of the lights went out. All of the technology down. The soldiers were instantly made unconscious.

"Gosh... that's useful."

Smiling, Maruck continued to dart through the hallways.

_"Right again!"_

Maruck was now confident in his escape. Right as he began to fell a bit of hope...

He felt his body dematerialize into the beam of a teleport.

* * *

WHAM.

His body slammed against another uncomfortable metal surface.

"We caught him," a mechanical voice said, "Forced short ranged teleport was a success."

"Excellent."

Maruck got to his feet and looked around.

He was no longer within the facility. He was on the surface of the Kimplemvora moon. It was T1, covered in blizzards, snow, and an abundance of cold. Where he was now, snow was not falling, but a thin layer of the powdery substance had built up along the ground. Lucky for Maruck, his thick hide made it easy to resist the relative extreme in temperature. He appeared to be present in some type of courtyard not to far from the Prison facility itself, as a hard metal platform was present beneath him. The occasional tree was staggered in different areas around the edge of the metallic surface.

But there was more than that.

Exactly as he expected. At least 14 Dronox soldiers standing in a full circle on all sides of Maruck. He was completely surrounded. Each and every one of them held a large Plasma Pulser within their hands, the barrels of the deadly devices aimed directly at the scorpnak.

"Come on!" Maruck exclaimed "How many times am I going to have to escape from you guys!"

"No more," said a dark feminine voice, "This is when you die."

Of all people, of all enemies, it was Veara. The Artlen was standing directly in front of Maruck, part of the circle of Dronox.

"Oh... you. Seriously, could this get _any worse_."

Taking a quick glance at the sky, Maruck was amazed to see a clear, night-time atmosphere. And just beyond that, was a breathtaking view of Thar. The planet was hovering above, its intricate system of lights covering the surface of the planet like a spiderweb. Off to the left, Maruck could see the Kimplemvora Prison facility, with its dome-like design, with an occasional spire.

Even though most sentient creatures would regard what was above as one of the most beautiful things in the galaxy, it currently was the absolute most insignificant thing on Maruck's mind.

After all, he was about to be killed.

Veara didn't look in any way... happy. Her face was cold and dark. Her expression was nonexistent. At this time, she was here just to do her job.

"So, is this it Veara? Is this where I die?"

"Not just you," she responded.

Maruck heard movement behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see two figures being pushed through the circle of Dronox. It was Harko and Arcadia. They came collapsing down on the ground on either side of Maruck. The two additional Dronox that had dragged them to this location joined the circle. This made it clear that the presence of Harko and Arcadia was also not an illusion.

"If you make any attempt to attack anyone here," Veara said, "The cuffs we've locked your friends into will activate, and terminate their life immediately. Is that clear?"

"So you want me to not kill you... and you ensuring this by saying that you'll kill my friends if I do... so that you can successfully kill me and my friends?"

"Despite the paradox, Maruck, I know you would _never_ dare the grief of knowing that you caused the death of both Captain Arcadia and Harko Salikan."

Maruck looked down at Harko, who was shivering in the intense cold. Both the tharian engineer and Arcadia had no form of personal shielding. Veara was right, his own good will would bring about his destruction. It was: be the only one to survive... or die with everyone else.

An impossible choice.

"Make your move Maruck," Veara stated, "If you get down on your knees, just like you friends here have kindly demonstrated, we will take that as your signal that you have surrendered."

Maruck simply stood their in shock. His mind was racing. There was no correct answer to this situation. He had no escape.

In defeat, he got to his knees.

"Excellent," Veara said, a sinister tone in her voice, "At last, the four of you are no longer of use to us... I've been waiting for this day for quite a while... I might even cry." The sarcasm was beyond evident.

"This can't be it..." Maruck said, looking down at the snow covered metal surface beneath him, "All of the work to get here... ending like this?"

Veara smiled a sinister grin. She aimed her plasma rifle at Maruck, preparing to pull back on the trigger.

But Maruck was right. This was not the end, nor could it possibly be.

"Master Veara, I'm picking up interference in my cybernetics."

"Not now, solider," the artlen responded, "I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"But it... I'm picking up an excess pulsation of 7.8x10^6 zetons of Kronon Energy!"

"Impossible, Dronox. Short range teleports are nullified within a 20 mile radius of the prison - Kronon energy pulsations do not occur."

"But its clear on my scanners that..."

"SILENCE! No more nonsense! The execution will proceed as planned."

Veara re-aimed her pulse cannon. The tension around Maruck had amounted once more.

"If there are no more distractions... then at last, we come to the end for you..."

Maruck closed his eyes.

Veara pulled down on the trigger...

… and the plasma energy came rocketing out of the weapon and towards the form of Captain Maruck.

BAM.

Bright light flooded every ones view. A powerful wind erupted into existence, swirling around the entire group. The snow was kicked up. Utter chaos. A form was materializing. An excess of visible kronon particles were exploding outwards in a gaseous form. The space around the areas was distorted, the light bending around the presence of a something completely unexpected.

Roku.

Standing there, just between Maruck and Veara, arms outstretched, holding the plasma energy in place with his telekinesis.

"YOU!" Veara exclaimed.

"Did you miss me?" Roku stated, a grin on his face. With no visible effort, Roku through his arm back, tossing the plasma energy, now condensed into a sphere, off to the side, where it exploded just beyond the group of Dronox. "Just give me a moment," Roku said, "This conversation should be a little more private."

"What?"

Roku brought his arms down, slamming his palms into the snow-covered metallic surface beneath him.

WOOSH.

In an invisible blast of force, all of the Dronox surrounding the group went accelerating away. It was as if a gust of incredible wind had just swept the soldiers off their feet, sending their bodies flying away like uncontrollable ragdolls.

"This, Captain Roku, is impossible!" Veara screamed.

"Impossible? What does that word even really mean?" Roku responded, standing back up, "From what I've learned, the word really shouldn't even exist."

"You were sent to the Tetradon Universe! We removed the Tesseract from the Quantum Gateway! There is no way possible in all of reality for you to have returned! We finally rid this universe of you, and now... you stubborn tharian, you return once more?"

"Um... yes, yes, yes, and... absolutely. Honestly, I'm wondering why you're not asking me how I managed to break through a teleport nullifier... cause I will tell you... its a fantastically long story."

"I don't care about that! I just want to know how you escaped Tetradon!"

Roku smiled.

"By a technicality... I haven't yet. Well at least... the version of me that you know."

"I don't have times for you games tharian!"

"Well, Veara, you must understand - this is where everything you thought was simple about our conflict... gets infinitely more complicated."

"I am done with you!"

Veara dashed forwards. Instinctively, Roku jumped to the left. As Veara passed by Roku, he grabbed her cybernetic arm, and with the aid of his own telekinetic ability, he picked her off the ground and sent her crashing into the snow.

Veara swiftly got back to her feet, charging towards the tharian again, this time extending her archon-laced claws. Right as she was bringing her arm down to strike, Roku blocked with his right arm. In frustration, Veara brought her other claw downwards, her teeth bared in anger. In a flash of motion, another block. And then, as if rehearsed, Roku switched his blocking position to where he grab hold of Veara's arms. He then extended his wings, jumped up into the air, did a complete aireal flip, and then released Veara at the last moment, sending her flying back towards the ground.

She impacted with a resounding thud, just seconds before Roku glided and landed back on the metal.

"You... since when did your reflexes triple in their speed?"

Veara stumbled back to her feet, by all means furious at what was happening.

"Never, my reflexes have remained more or less exactly the same since our last encounter."

"Don't play games with me, Roku!"

"I'm not. But... technically... our last encounter was a good 30,000 years ago."

"Okay... Okay..." Maruck said, getting back to his feet along with Arcadia and Harko, "_What in the name of sanity is going on?"_

Roku turned his head for a moment to acknowledge the presence of the three others, but right before he could say anything...

"AH!" Veara screamed, whipping out her dark energy rifle. Hoping for the best in Roku's moment of distraction, she fired a rapid secession of condensed dark energy bullets at the captain.

Roku snapped back into position. Not even a moment later, he threw his right arm up, holding it in a position that would otherwise block a punch. But miraculously, his telekinetic ability gave him access to more than that.

The dark energy bullets sliced through the air particles, igniting all of the matter as the flew towards the captain. But right as they neared his body... they immediately veered off in random directions. An invisible force field had erupted into existence, sending all of the condensed dark energy astray.

Veara, however, did not stop firing until her entire guns dark energy core had run dry. She was furious.

The Arten lowered her weapon. She then looked at Roku, who was completely unscathed, and her eyes filled with absolute hatred.

"How can this be?" Veara exclaimed.

"_How can this be?_" Roku repeated, "Why I would tell you... but you would never believe me."

"You deflected dark energy. By all of my understanding of telekinesis, it only manipulates matter... just tell me _how _you have accomplished this!"

Roku smiled.

"It doesn't matter. This is when the tides turn. This is when the battle, that was so... unbelievably... indescribably... and ridiculously one sided finally changes. You know this to be true... don't you Veara? Even the Grand Master knows this to be true. The prophecy predicted a battle... a _war_ on a drastic scale - not a massacre at the hands of the Grox. No matter how greatly you feel towards the 'darkness'... or as you call it, the 'truth'... the light will not go down without a fight."

"So... what you are telling me is that your pathetic little race will somehow rise from its current obliteration and magically become, once again, the _only _race in the galaxy even remotely capable of standing a chance against us. Please, Roku, the war is already won."

"Even within you, Veara? Do you think the war is already lost?"

"Excuse me."

"I'm not talking to the true Veara. I know I'm not... and it wasn't until very recently... or should I say... and incredibly long time ago... that I got the chance to meet the real Veara Eveler."

"She has a _last name?_" Maruck stated, a little bit taken a back.

"Are you serious, Maruck?" Arcadia said, next to him, "Of course she has a last name."

"Shut up, you're still just as amazed as I am."

"Explain to me how you have this information," Veara said, rushing through her words.

"You don't remember? Well, I suppose it was so long ago. But to put things in perspective... a rather big set of events occurred 5 years ago... and I didn't remember any of it... until recently of course. All of that stuff with Amy and Kirk... just slipped my mind. Well... not _actually_... there was a bit more involved than that. For example, one or two memory wipes. But that's besides the point."

"Exactly, tharian. You're just rambling. Tell me how you know my name."

"Oh, but its not _you're _name. I'm talking to the raw darkness of Veara's soul... brought about by the hatred of Narahgeenah. You know this to be true... so there is no point in denying."

Veara didn't respond.

There was a moment of intense silence. It was clear at this point, that all of the Dronox that Roku had knocked away were _not_ getting back up.

There was a sudden beeping noise emanating from Roku wrist. The captain raised his arm to look at the communication device he had placed on it.

"Ah... just on time. Well, I guess its not really on time as much as exactly the same time as what was previously experienced by the chimera, scorpnak, and tharian standing behind me. Or should I say, currently experienced. Its exactly 3 minutes after my arrival time... which was 4:15AM Pyles Standard Time... just in case you guys were wondering."

"Yes, but what is it?" Harko questioned.

"Oh... nothing much... just when the Aeron Galaxy Alliance notifies me that they're about to jump out of hyperspace next to Thar."

"WHAT?" Veara exclaimed.

**BAM.**

A noise akin to a sonic boom resonated through the Kimplemvora atmosphere. Anyone educated in hyperspace tunneling knew what that meant - it was the precursor to the opening of a hyperspace tunnel.

But for that loud of a noise, there had to be _a lot_ of hyperspace tunnels.

And amazingly, that scenario was absolutely correct.

Seconds after the noise, thousands of portals came tearing open in the vacuum of space. Looking up, all of them saw a sight more glorious than any other instance thus far - at least to Roku, Harko, Maruck, and Arcadia.

It had the opposite effect on Veara.

It was the sight of thousands upon thousands of interstellar warships passing out of hyperspace. They all varied in size... and there were so many, that they filled _all_ parts of the visible sky. The amount of hyperspace portals was like a array of fireworks in all directions, their bright colors lighting up the dark sky.

The spacecraft were coming from all directions, immediately surrounding Thar without even the slightest hint of difficulty. The nearest one passed right over their current position on Kimplemvora. It was a massive flagship, covered in a unbelievable number of energy weapons.

This was a full assault.

"And at last," Roku said, speaking into the device on his wrist, "You arrive. Took you long enough."

"_Even now, I don't appreciate the sarcasm," _a voice responded, _"Is this the other Roku I'm talking to... or the other Roku?"_

"The other one."

"_Got it."_

At this point, Veara was downright blown away.

"Who is that?" the artlen exclaimed.

"Just a little friend of mine... Aster Saphiren, High Commander of the Aeron Galaxy Alliance."

"The words you speak mean nothing! You are nothing!"

"Oh... you'd wish that were true. Hey Aster, mind telling me all of the empires that we managed to rally together?"

"_Not at all. All flagship commanders, report empire name."_

"_Poppero."_

"_Chimera."_

"_Fendal."_

"_Scorpnak."_

"_Artlen."_

"_Paggosylat."_

"_Tyro."_

"_Shak'tul."_

"_Blizzanka."_

"_and of course... Starlen."_

"Fantastic!" Maruck exclaimed, joy filling his features.

"Now its time to win this," Arcadia said with a confident tone.

"This is it Veara. This is when the war begins. This is when the tables turn. This is the beginning of the end for Agriath."

Roku took a a few steps forwards, until he was standing no more than 3 feet in front of Veara.

"I have spent too long fighting your kind for it to end now," Veara stated, simply.

"But look at all the stuff happening around you. The sky is about to light up with an unwinable battle between the remaining Grox in orbit around Thar and the exceptionally ridiculous numbers of the Aeron Alliance. Basically... run."

Veara did not verbally respond, but she reached down towards her short range teleport, and activated it. The form of the dark artlen vanished into thin air.

"Okay... now what?" Arcadia asked.

"Now... it's _your _turn," Roku said, spinning around and walking back towards the other three.

"Our turn for what?"

"You'll learn in good time. Basically you need to recognize that I've been helping you guys for a while now. Sending information to Stekvan about giving Roku the electro magnetic pulse emitter, making sure myself was confident enough to stand through near incineration."

"_Making sure yourself? How is that..._"

"I don't have time to explain. I'm giving the three of you a mission. Make it to flight deck 37 - its on the East side of the Kimplemvora Prison. Once you get there, you'll find something of incredible use. Use this device to reach the Main Control Tower on Thar. Once there, reactivate the Quantum Gateway. You need to do this, otherwise I'll be trapped inside of the Tetradon Universe."

"But you're not _in _the Tetradon Universe... whatever that is... you're right in front of me!" Maruck shouted in confusion.

"We'll from you're point of view I'm still in the Tetradon Universe, but from my point of view I got out of the Tetradon Universe, did a few things, met a few people, relayed some message based on useful foreknowledge, and then met up with you guys to ensure that it all happens the way it already did."

"WHAT?" Maruck, Arcadia, and Harko said in unison.

"Don't bother yourself with the specifics. Oh! And take this," Roku said, pulling a small holographic cube from his belt and handing it to Harko, "Its an information packet, you know how it works. That will give you all of the information necessary to reach and reactivate the Quantum Gateway. It also contains some other epic information."

"Epic information? Seriously?"

"Just remember: Make it to the Tower. Reactivate the Gateway. After Stekvan makes it back through the gateway - and everything goes wrong - _ make sure_ you throw the information packet back through the portal. This is absolutely vital in completely the temporal causality loop."

"But how do you even know we'll complete all this alive?" Arcadia questioned, still rather shocked at the entire situation.

"Because from my point of view, you've already done it."

"Wait... but what did you mean by 'When everything goes wrong?'" Maruck asked, a little worried.

"You'll see when you get there. Now, you need to go!"

Roku reached towards his teleport.

"See you guys later."

In another giant flash of swirling light and energy, Roku was gone.

"Great..." Harko said, "So he expects us to run all the way across the prison facility... which is crawling with Grox... just so we can follow some incredibly vauge instructions?"

Maruck smiled for a moment before responding.

"_Welcome to our lives."_

* * *

_Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I'll be sure to release the next one as soon as I can._

_AND P.S. to the anonymous reviewer 'FutureWriter': Due to the way that the Fanfiction message system works, I have no way of communicating with you unless you already have an account, with the exception of what I'm doing right now. I'd be happy to talk to you if you email me at njkilleen (at) gmail (dot) com. And um... to answer your first question: You create an account by clicking 'Sign Up' in the very top right corner of the website._


	34. Pandora's Rift

_No more excuses. This is newest chapter... I wrote it so that you could read it. Simple enough, right?_

_Seriously though, I've planned out when I'm going to write each chapter... like... in detail. I've put a date on when I will write each subsection of each chapter. With this new schedule the time it takes between any given chapter should never exceeded 2 weeks, but optimally, there will be one chapter per week... most likely on Saturday. Procrastination will not be an option!_

_This does not include the next chapter, however. This chapter was originally longer than this, and I was still working on it, but I decided to split it where there was a nice ending portion so that you could actually read part of it. So, within the next few days, I'll have finished Chapter 35... which is technically Chapter 34 Part 2... but whatever. The next chapter has a rather epic battle between Alan and Arcadia, so look forwards to that._

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

34: Pandora's Rift

* * *

Running and running away from his fate...

A grim future of nothing but archon and hate...

The sentients of reality shroud him with fame...

But not a single one of them truly knows his name...

His existence was planned, his life was known...

But it will take the end of everything for that to truly be shown...

A new enemy shall rise...

Through the power of lies...

But no life should fear...

For the God That Will Come is here.

- Excerpt from Chapter XIV of 'The Book of the Shamans.'

* * *

Roku couldn't sleep.

Too much had happened recently. The world around him had picked itself up and flipped itself upside down. Nothing was like it was before.

The tharian opened his eyes.

He was laying in a bed. But... it wasn't _his_ bed. In fact, Roku hadn't slept in his bed in a little over two months. He was far away from any place he had ever been before, and his mind simply couldn't be put to rest.

Roku's body was restless, he needed to walk around. And so, after a sigh, the tharian pulled the covers off of the bed, watching as they silently evaporated into shimmering blue particles, condensing and flowing into a panel on the right side of the bed. It was a common fact across all universes, all galaxies, and all species... people would go to any length to avoid fixing the covers on a bed.

Roku inwardly laughed at this thought, sliding off of the bed and standing up. He was no longer wearing his normal Tritium Armor, but a casual blue uniform given to him by the Tetradon Humans.

Oh yeah that's right... the Tetradon Universe.

Roku walked away from his bed and through the dimly lit room. The only source of illumination was a circular window on the wall to Roku's right. An eerie alternating blue and red glow was emanating from outside, a rather interesting side effect of being in a space station orbiting through a cascade of exotic energy. The tharian stretched his wings and yawned, just before moving towards the doorway.

Roku held his palm up to the receptacle, which did a quick holographic scan. Right afterwards, the door began to glow blue and then disintegrate into a cloud of particles, which, like the bed covers, funneled into nearby metallic panels. It was cool and nifty technology indeed. As Roku tucked in his wings and passed through the now open passageway, the particles began to re-assemble, and once Roku was on the other side, the door to Roku's sleep quarters had phased back into full corporeal matter.

The tharian began to stride through the Tetradon Station's passageways. It was in the middle of the night (relative to the sleeping patterns of the humans on the station) so the passageways were far quieter than normal. The last Roku saw of this place, it was bustling with scientists and a plethora of other personnel, all seemingly busy with something important. Now, the station was serene and calm. All of the lights were off, but that did not stop the glow of the energy cascade from entering through the series of glass windows on Roku's right. The passageway he was in was situated right on the edge of one of the exterior walls, and the architects took no expense to make sure that the view was astounding. Almost the entire right wall was one long window, stretching far into the distance, and slowing curving to the left and out of view. The only metallic portions were the occasional support column, but aside from them, there was an unrestricted view of what the humans had dubbed "Pandora's Rift."

Roku looked further down the passageway and noticed a figure leaning up against the railing adjacent to the glass window.

It was Stekvan.

Intrigued as to what the Jaxxod was doing, Roku picked up his pace to meet up with him.

Stekvan heard the tharian approaching, and turned his head as well.

"Ah... Roku. I'm guessing you couldn't sleep either?"

"Yeah," Roku answered, coming to a stop once he was within conversation distance, "There's just... too much happening."

"Trust me... I know exactly what you're talking about."

Roku mimicked Stekvan's behavior, by leaning against the metallic railing and looking out at Pandora's Rift.

"What's on your mind?" Roku asked, a little curious.

"Really? Take a guess."

"Well... there's that whole thing about how you spent 300 billion years protecting our universe from Agriath... and now... that's kind of all fallen apart."

"It's not that... I knew that it was going to happen at some point. Time moves ever onward... Agriath would not be contained forever. No... its more than that. It's been so long that the Tesseract has... ravaged our universe. Don't you realize... that if that object had not fallen into our plane of existence, then the Grox would have never existed? Countless wars, countless civilizations, and countless lives would not have been lost."

"There is a positive."

"And what's that?"

"Well... there's always the fact that neither of us would have been born."

Stekvan let out a tiny smile.

"Yes, I suppose that's true."

The two captains spent a some time staring out into the mesmerizing whirlwind of energy in silence. Roku took a breath and broke it.

"I see your point, though. Here, it seems like such a simple matter. So insignificant. To them, it was just an experiment. In fact, it was a perfectly innocent attempt to escape their collapsing universe... and look what it became. The Tesseract was a failure."

"To the Humans of Tetradon, but not to Agriath. That's what he wanted."

Roku shook his head, still slightly unable to accept the situation.

The tharian spoke again, "We know so much... but so little. It seems that with every question we have answered, three more questions present themselves. We can assume that Agriath wanted the Tesseract to arrive at the wrong time, so that no humans would be able to attain it. That is simple enough. At that point, the natural cycle of civilizations would once again be broken, and the deity of darkness would be given another chance to move into the physical world."

"And so he did..." Stekvan stated, "During the twilight of the stars, and the sundering of my empire."

"But... we have no idea how. And more importantly, we have no idea why this universe began to collapse in the first place. From everything that we understand, Agriath has no control over material reality from the Dark Hollow."

"But that brings up an interesting topic. What is the Dark Hollow... is it a place or a concept?"

"I didn't wake up in the middle of the night to debate philosophy with you, Stekvan."

"But it's a fair question. What do you believe it is, honestly?"

Roku thought for a moment.

"When I think of the dark hollow, I think of... nothing. But at the same time, pure hatred. How can something be both?"

"I understand what you mean..." Stekvan responded, "It is my belief that a bit of the hollow resides within all of us. However, at the same time, we have complete control over it... it is our choice as to whether or not we listen to it."

"By that understanding... the Dark Hollow is not a place... its simply... thought, concept, and emotion."

"The Dark Hollow... a place without time, dimensions, or any reality. With such a vague description, seriously... who are we to describe what it truly is?"

There was another few moments of silence.

"We have to tell them tomorrow, you know," Roku said, "The humans of this world believe they are saved. They believe that the Tesseract project is a success, and that they will finally escape the wrath of Agriath."

"When they have simply brought it upon themselves. The ultimate irony... and we are given the privilege of conveying it to all of them. Joy."

Another silence.

"Well, I will see you in the morning, Stekvan."

"Same here, good night Roku."

The tharian stood back up and began to walk back towards his bedroom. It was going to be a big speech tomorrow, and he should probably get some rest.

* * *

Before the cataclysm, there was the Void.

The Void was timeless and purely the embodiment of absence.

The Void had no purpose, and no reason.

The Void simply was in and of itself.

Then came the Aether.

The Aether was, in that moment of appearance, absolute defiance.

And that defiance, that adamacy, brought about the cataclysm.

At the moment of the great ripple, time was born.

Existence was created, with all that populates it.

The Aether was happy.

The Void was not.

* * *

"People of Ranau, the time has come. After such a long wait, we have the truth."

Anson, who looked somewhat nervous, took another breath and continued.

"Today, we have visitors from another plane of existence. Before you is Roku Azero, Stekvan Gallindo, and Chase Marks. They are our guests, but also the ones who have come to warn us."

A hush fell over the crowd.

Roku, who was standing just behind and to the right of Anson, looked out towards the excessively large audience.

They were in an absolutely gigantic outdoor amphitheater. There were thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of audience members, strewn all across a massive curved grid of seats. They were stacked just like stadium, save for the presence of _more_ seating where the field would normally be. If you were to take a football field, cut it in half across the closer sides, place a very fancy stage where the center use to be, and then squeeze a whole bunch more seats everywhere that there was room, you would get this - an outdoor theater jam packed with people. Roku could barely make out the architecture of the terraced stadium seating underneath the swarm of audience members.

It was, to say the least, rather intimidating.

They were on the planet Ranau, the one they had seen from high above in the Tetradon research facility, and the only other known planet in the Tetradon universe to support any kind life. While flying in, they had been able to see one of its cities. Its architecture was similar to that of Alyxia, but with a Chimera design thrown in. The color that seemed to be utilized most often was a mid-tone of blue. It was rather calming and easy to look at. This color was also present in the framework of the stadium in front of Roku, and the stage beneath his talons.

It was rather strange to have, not that long ago, see the humans in the civilization stage, barely understanding space travel. Now, he saw a civilization of excessive ability, with technology akin to that of the Jaxxod, utilizing such power to hold together their universe.

Truly amazing.

But...

Technology means nothing when it comes to numbers. Roku knew that for a fact. The humans of tetradon had the inhabitants of this one planet, and the few that resided on the research facility. That was it. The overwhelming numbers of the Grox could easily consume this empire, as it had countless others... including Roku's own race. When the full force of the Grox empire wants something destroyed... there is little to nothing that can stop it.

Roku snapped back into reality. He had something to do.

"Now, our first speaker will be the New Tharian Captain, Roku Azero. Please give him your attention, as the news he will deliver will be, in no way, what you expected."

Anson backed away from the podium, giving Roku an acknowledging shake of his head. The tharian compiled by taking his place at the center podium, which was situated on a slightly raised platform at the focal point of the entire stadium. Attached to Roku's right ear was a small hovering wire curving and extending down to near his mouth. This allowed his voice to be projected across the tremendous distance.

Roku took a breath, and began to speak.

"For us, as travelers from another realm, it is hard to accept the reality presented before us. For the longest time we believed the Tesseract to be a gift from a higher power, but recently, our perspective has changed. Many of the races of our galaxy have come to know the Tesseract as... a _curse - _ an artifact of some grand demon engineered to obliterate our world."

To say the least, the crowd was in complete shock. The faces of those up close were in utter disbelief. Roku began to walk away from the podium, expressing his words through hand gestures.

"I will start with this, however. The Tesseract, in everything that it was designed to do, carried out all of its functions in exactly the way your scientists programmed them to. It passed through our universe's barrier wall without a hitch. It locked onto the nearest homeworld. The gas within the tesseract weakened those away from Earth, and strengthened those who had been there. The engineering was astounding in its perfection. Its tremendous power advanced my race, the New Tharians, to a status of absolute reverence. It was the strongest collection of matter to be present within Epsilon, our universe."

Roku took a moment to stop and observe the audience. Their expressions showed a slight confusion. He could see them thinking... _What is he trying to say?_

"But... it arrived early. Too early. Far too early. For quite some time we had little understanding of how an object seemingly destined to arrive on earth could appear so many years ahead of time. And no, I'm not talking about a couple thousand years, or a couple hundred thousand years. The Tesseract, or the 'Hypercube,' as my race called it, arrived nearly three-hundred _billion_ years before its designated time."

The nearest audience members, the ones Roku could see, shifted a little in their seats.

"I am sorry. I am truly sorry. It is the ultimate irony, but the object which you created to save your universe... could end up dooming not just it, but also our universe as well."

Roku stepped back, just about done with watching the expression of complete disbelief on those in the audience. Stekvan took Roku's place as the speaker.

"I am Stekvan Gallindo. My race, like Roku's, was advanced by the Tesseract. We were the first to befall that fate. As it had arrived so early, so off-target, there was no human race for it to go to. At the same time, there was nothing preventing it from continuing its functions... and so it did. My race became the Jaxxod - the harbingers of justice within the Aeron Galaxy and the entire galactic supercluster that it occupied. We grew stronger and stronger until our arrogance consumed us. Like you have probably predicted, the fact that there was no human race meant that there was no one to receive the instructions on how to _properly_ build the quantum gateway... and so it sent our race spiraling towards a fate eerily similar to yours. We, in unnatural advancement, constructed an Entanglement portal of our own."

There was a strange breeze that blew across the stadium. Roku, still standing near Stekvan, would normally have thought nothing of it... but it sent a chill up his spine. For some reason, that breeze reminded him of something... but he couldn't figure out what that was.

Stekvan continued speaking, "Now, we do not blame you for what happened. What you, the Humans of Ranau did... was a valiant attempt to cheat the power of Agriath. It should have, by all means, worked. The issue with the scheme, however, was something that you couldn't have predicted."

Anson was back at the podium. He began to speak into the microphone. "For some reason, regardless of our extensive calculations, at the moment that the Tesseract was launched, a rouge energy pulse was sent through the launching mechanism. We have no idea where the command for this pulse came from. Looking through our systems, it appears to have been a form of virus, a computer virus, that had the sole purpose of altering the Tesseracts destination at the last second. Its motive was clear, to make sure that the Tesseract, a product of unnatural advancement, would find its way into the hands of another race, so that it would cause a repeat of history... allowing the dark one a second chance to escape."

One of the audience members, a mid-aged man in the front row, stood up. He was well-dressed, and appeared to be surrounded by more than a few armored security personnel.

"Yes, President Telnak," Anson stated, "Is there something that you need to say?"

Anson disconnected the microphone on the podium and tossed it towards the official-looking human. The hover-modules on the microphone allowed it to gracefully glide into his hands.

The man spoke, "I, in my entire life, would never have expected a result such as this. For the three transdimensional travelers standing before me, I am President Telnak of the last human civilization on Ranau. This is our final refuge from the advancing void. Tell me, truly and honestly, is there hope? I am not asking desperately, I am simply asking for the truth. What you see behind me is a large majority of the population of Ranau. That's it... we are falling apart. I will not lie to my own people in a time like this, so I will ask this question in front of all of them,so that they know of the validity of my statements. Do you... we... or anyone... have a plan?"

The breeze swept across the stadium again, making Roku involuntary shiver. Something was wrong...

This time, it was Chase who spoke up. "We are not entirely hopeless. I am Chase Andrew Marks, a prior citizen of Earth within the Epsilon Universe. That planet is still classified Level 5 - the civilization stage of existence, but I have been taken places that no one on my planet would even dream of. I have seen the power of Agriath expressed through his current mortal host. I have seen the damaged he has caused... but I know it can be stopped. Agriath is currently trapped within a host body. From everything we understand, if we can destroy the Amahani Dimitri, we can rid the multiverse of Agriath."

"You are sure of this?"

"Not entirely, but if it is true... then your Tesseract was actually a benefit as well... a dual-edged sword. For, while it kind of caused massive issues in our world, it also set into motion Stekvan's re-imprisoning of Agriath within the galactic core of the Aeron Galaxy. It's a... long story. But basically, Agriath is currently in a weakened stage. We believe he can be killed. Even if this is not true, there is no reason not to try."

"Excellent reasoning. Then we shall support you, Chase of Epsilon... along with all of your allies. We shall do everything in our power to ensure the downfall of the Lord of Archon."

_**But will you?**_

A strikingly dark and feminine voice bounced around the stadium. As the noise resonated, Roku felt another chilling breeze. Something was definitely wrong.

"No..." Anson muttered, "How can she be here..."

"Who are you?" Roku shouted into the sky, "Do not hide from us!"

_**But you know me already, my feathered friend. We met not even 5 years ago... such a wonderful story it was. But alas... your memory.**_

"I will not repeat myself," Roku stated, "Show yourself."

_**If you so desperately... desire.**_

As the disembodied voice spoke the sentence, she dragged out the syllables in a rather eerily provocative way.

A form of violet energy bubbled up into view diagonally in front of and above the main podium. The goo-like substance was hovering in mid-air, morphing into a perceivable form. The final visible creature was... to say the least... unexpected.

Its skin was a dark purple. Its hair in the form of long tendrils, blurring together in a haze and floating in random directions as if un-bound by the laws of physics. The creature had a single luminous and piercing eye dominating the top-center portion of its face. Its arms were average sized and shaped, while its "legs" did not exist at all. Instead, there was three tentacle like tendrils protruding from the creatures waist. Whatever this thing was, it also adorned a white coat, almost glowing with energy. An aura of violet light surrounded this mysterious being.

Anson looked completely shocked.

"Yagoda..." he said, speaking the words softly as if scared of their implications, "You... you can't..."

_"Escape? Get out of your little prison? Of course I can't, you went to great lengths to make sure of that. No... I am merely projecting myself here, anchoring this ethereal form through the other powerful psionic creature in the vicinity."_

"And who's that?"

_"The telekenetic Roku Azero. His presence allows my presence."_

Roku took a step forward to stand near Anson, and spoke, "Me? You're using me to project yourself?"

_"Oh how cute... you're so clueless. Yes, your enhanced telekentic tesseract ability is what allows me to appear here. You may not know it, but through that little fluke of unnatural advancement... otherwise known as the epitome of irony... the 'Tesseract,' you are closer to ascension than anyone else in this universe."_

"Excuse me?" Roku responded, a little confused.

"Wait..." Chase spoke up, "You're an ascended deity?"

_"Of course I'm an ascended deity, child of Marks. And, unbeknownst to you, I've played a dramatic role in your life. I am Yagoda, the Goddess of Epsilon. Few know of my existence... not counting the rather interesting adventure of your sister..."_

"My sister? I don't have a sister..."

_"I will not stay here and explain any longer. All of you will report to my ridiculously overkill and impenetrable cell in the Research Facility. Now. I wish to speak to all of you face to face."_

"No, we won't," Anson definitely responded, "Not until you give us a genuinely valid reason to do so."

The Goddess smiled.

_"Fine then, I will. Know this, human... I am the reason for the collapse of your universe. I orchestrated the doom of Tetradon."_

That was all that she needed to say. Immediately afterwards, the translucent form of the deity vanished.

* * *

_This is a promise to all of you: The next chapter will be out within the next few days._

_If you're completely clueless as to who Yagoda is... then either A) Go and read the other spore fanfic "Grox and Kisses" or B) Wait a few days until I give a legitimate explanation of her character within the next chapter._


	35. The Ark of Infinity

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

35: THE ARK OF INFINITY

* * *

"NOW!" Maruck exclaimed.

The scorpnak spun around the corner, with Arcadia mimicking his motion across the hallway gap.

The Dronox didn't even see it coming. Two plasma blasts sliced through the matter in the air, disintegrating the guards on contact.

"Let's move," Arcadia stated.

The scorpnak and the chimera advanced around the corner and past the bodies of the fallen Dronox, with the tharian engineer, Harko, in tow.

They were within the main prison block of the Kimplemvora Prison facility, a section adjacent to the spaceship Flight Deck 37, which was their apparent destination. The walls were a mix of green and blue shades, spread across hexagonal metal patterns. It was definitely "futuristic," but there was still a noticeable hint of _prison_.

Harko ran past the two captains and towards the sealed door.

"This should be the third security partition between us and the main lobby. The last one should be right after this one," the tharian explained, moving towards that door's holographic control panel. In a swift motion, he pulled the metallic plating off of the device to reveal the circuitry underneath. "Ah... this one is tri-sealed... it might take me a bit longer to crack it."

Maruck turned and pointed his plasma gun back at the hallway they had just passed through, guarding their position.

"Well..." the scorpank responded, "Go as fast as you can. I don't like the idea of just standing here in an inescapable dead-end."

"I think you might have spoken too soon..." Arcadia said, also raising his plasma pulser, a look of determination on his face.

Three more Dronox ran around the previous corner. One of the other two fallen Dronox must have sent a distress signal.

"Let's rock and roll," Maruck exclaimed. The two captains dashed forwards, rapidly firing plasma bolts from the barrels on the space-age weapons.. The flurry of energy smashed into Dronox defensive shields. The mutated faces of the creatures twisted into an unpleasant smile.

"You cannot harm us now!" the Dronox said, speaking in its distorted mechanical voice, "These shields are 100% resilient to plasmatic weaponry."

Arcadia let out a small laugh.

"Then obviously you didn't do your research."

With a motion of all four of the Chimera's arms, and wall of thick ice erupted into existence, forming a solid barrier between the two captains and the advancing Dronox. In another quick forward gesture, the ice wall accelerated forwards, smashing into the Dronox soldiers, and taking them, involuntarily, along for the ride.

Of course... their ride ended rather abruptly as they were smashed between the ice barrier and the prison wall on the opposite end of the passageway. They, quite simply, were not going to be doing much moving after.

"Excellent work," Maruck commented.

"Got it!" Harko shouted from behind them.

There was a noticeable clicking noise, followed by the sound of a door sliding open. Maruck and Arcadia spun around to see that Harko had successfully hacked through another security partition. The sealed door was now wide open.

"Then there's no time to waste," Arcadia commanded, running back up to where Harko was, along with Maruck.

The next room was an actual prison cell complex. It was a small and relatively claustrophobic hallway. As they walked through, the hallway intersected other perpendicular hallways once every 30 or so feet. Between each intersection was three distinct prison cells, with walls made of tritium and translucent shields as an external barrier. Each one had one or two beds, as well as other scattered miscellaneous items. As Maruck ran past each prison cell, he expected to see actual, well... _prisoners._

But in fact... there was not a single creature in any of the cells.

"Harko," Maruck said, getting the attention of the tharian.

"Yep."

"Not to waste time... but... where is everyone?"

"The prisoners? From the little information that I've gathered, the Grox have taken all of them, and, well... added them to their army."

"And by that," Arcadia added, "He means they wiped their brains clean of all memories and emotions, exchanged a good portion of their body for cybernetics... and sent them to battle for the 'never ending glory of the Grox Empire.'"

"Yeah, something like that," Harko said.

The Scorpnak, Chimera, and Tharian came skidding to a halt in front of the final security partition. The door looked just as impassable as the previous ones, but Maruck and Arcadia knew from experience that they were no match for Harko.

"Another tri-seal. Give me a moment... I'm also quite sure that those suspicious footsteps in the distance are quite possibly hostile."

Maruck and Arcadia did another 180 degree spin, discovering, to their dismay, that two Dronox and one of the large and intimidating Insectrox were advancing towards their position.

"You guys again, seriously?" Maruck whined.

"What's the plan this time?" Arcadia asked, ignoring Maruck's rather childlike attitude.

The mutated Grox soldiers began a quick sprint towards the two captains. They were still a good 60 feet from where they were.

"Um... I have an idea. I've been meaning to try this out... cross your fingers that we don't all die."

"Wait what?"

Maruck raised his own arms, channeling the Alminar ability that had been bestowed upon him. He closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts on the shields that covered every prison cell all around him. They were all made of kronon energy, an expression of the electromagnetic properties of all matter in the universe. If he could just grab ahold of that power... and amplify it...

To the unbounded gratitude of the Scorpnak captain, his plan played out in an absolutely beautiful success. Arcadia watched in amazement as all of the prison shields around Dronox troops began to vibrate and distort, as if they had become the surface of moving water.

Seconds later, they exploded.

The exotic particles making up the visible surface of the force fields blasted in every direction. A shockwave of bright blue light blasted through the prison hallways, cascading outwards through every branching passageway. All of the hostiles were, inevitably, completely incinerated in the blast.

With the utmost control, by the time the shock wave had reached Maruck and Arcadia, it was nothing more than a light breeze.

Maruck opened his eyes.

"Wow."

That was all Arcadia needed to say.

"They're just like... completely gone. There is legitimately nothing left of them. Let's make sure that goes down in the book of awesome things that Maruck can do."

"Of course."

Another clicking noise resounded behind them, followed by the predictable sound of the security door sliding open.

"Let's go," came Harko's voice.

Maruck and Arcadia broke out of their trance, once again dashing through the open doorway. The next room was much larger than the previous ones. In that respect, it was the _main_ lobby room.

The walls were made out of the same hexagonally organized metal. In fact, the six walls of the room were all organized as a single hexagon, coming to a stop at a large glass dome at least 30 feet above their heads. There were four visible entrances to the room, the one they had just come through, leading to Prison Block Alpha, the one across the lobby, leading to Prison Block Beta, a locked passageway into the administration offices, and a final sealed security partition leading to Flight Deck 37 and teleport hub.

That was their destination.

There was also a main desk situated near the administration door, containing multiple vacant computer stations. Above that was a large holographic sign reading "Kimplemvora Penitentiary." In the middle of the lobby were small waiting areas, each containing one or two couches.

This would have been incredibly easy. All they would've needed to do was cross the lobby and enter the Deck 37. Two steps... nothing remotely complicated.

But then... there was the figure standing in the center of the room. It was figure standing with a defiant smirk on his face. A figure of ultimate disgust.

Alan Marks.

"Look what we have here..." Alan said, his syllables blurring together into the evil tone that was common across all of current Grox leaders.

"Alan..." Maruck said, letting the word fall of his tongue like it wasn't true.

The human was wearing a powerful set of nearly pitch black Tritium Armor. There were basically no conventional weapons that could pierce that protective barrier. He carried no technology apart from the armor. He was unarmed... but they knew from experience that regular weapons were not in his arsenal of choice. They had something far worse to worry about.

"I'll do this," Arcadia stated in a defiant tone.

"Excuse me?" Maruck asked, looking towards the Chimera, "We're all in this together."

Arcadia took a deep breath, and responded - "No, this is my battle."

The Chimera stepped away from Harko and Maruck, approaching the center of the Prison Lobby, and the form of Chase's corrupt brother.

"I do not care _who's_ battle it is. I shall destroy all three of you equally as easy," the human said, looking into the eyes of the approaching captain.

"Will you? Alan?" the Chimera said, rattling of the words rather quickly, "From what I've been told, you barely escaped your last confrontation with Chase. What makes you think you'll be just as lucky this time?"

Alan let a large smile come across his face. Arcadia was now feet from the human, who had yet to move at all.

"The past has no importance in what will happen today."

"The past has absolute importance, Alan!" Arcadia exclaimed, stepping even closer to the human, "You orchestrated the destruction of my entire homeworld. _Millions_ of innocent chimera were slaughtered when you reduced Phyrchous to nothing but a spinning clump of magma."

"And what do you plan on doing? Avenging them? Please, it's over."

"It is _never _over. So long as I stay standing, the power of all those who you killed give me the courage to stand before you with no fear. You killed all of them! Every last one! Men, women, and children! Tisep! Gire! Draxus! Believe me, human, this is the beginning of the end for you!"

Maruck and Harko began to move forwards, in an attempt to join the confrontation. They were almost instantly stopped by a repulsive electric force field. A blast of energy from the suddenly visible barrier knocked them back a good 5 feet.

"But you're absolutely right, Arcadia," the corrupted human stated, looking around the infuriated Chimera and over at Harko and Maruck, "They will not be assisting you in this battle. This is fight between you and me. And by that extent, the end of you, Captain Arcadia."

Maruck and Harko we're getting back on their feet.

"_Can't you destroy the shield?_" Harko whispered to Maruck.

"_I could... but I don't have enough control over that ability it to ensure that it doesn't destroy Arcadia as well._"

Alan leaned in close to Arcadia to say one last thing.

"You're move."

* * *

_High Security Vault Unlocked._

_High Security Doorway Open._

The rather large and thick metal door split into two distinct halves, the large locking mechanism in the middle spinning until it too disappeared into the walls on either side. The entire door had a thickness of at least 5 feet of solid metal. Whatever was in here, required absolute security.

Roku, Chase, and Stekvan were back on the Tetradon Research Facility. They had been escorted to this location by Anson himself, who refused to give any information on their actual destination within the facility. It was rather eerie, in a way. The last significant thing that had happened was an ascended deity appearing at the announcements... asking them to come to where 'she really was.' Anson had almost immediately orderd Chase, Roku, and Stekvan to follow him back to the facility. The entire time he seemed flustered and angry. He kept murmuring to himself about having 'known all along.'

Cathy was also with the group, standing behind them.

Once the doorway was completely open, Anson passed through, followed by the three captains and his daughter. They were now in a small and cramped passageway. It was just barely big enough for all of them to fit through. The amazing part was... that all of the surfaces were made of a resilient and sturdy material... but it was completely transparent. Through this, they could see their destination: A gigantic spherical object suspended within a much larger cylindrical chamber. Their passageway was a bridge exactly halfway up the large cavern, creating a pathway between research station hallway they had come from and the suspended sphere on the other end of the passageway. This, of course, gave the impression that something was _in _the sphere. Huge beams of arcing energy were emanating from the distant walls of the chamber and slamming into the giant sphere, which appeared to be protected by at least six powerful kronon barriers. As they passed through the tight passageway, the captains watched as they moved through energy barrier after energy barrier, marveling at the unbelievable security.

"We are just above the core of the Research Facility. Our Quantum Reactors, generating absolutely indescribable amounts of power, provide energy for this entire facility, but nearly 94% of it goes into maintaining this room. The area around the temporary bridge is a complete vacuum. There is no form of energy permeating anywhere in this chamber, apart from the kronon shielding," Anson explained, finally giving some answers, "It takes huge amounts of power to ensure that _she_ has no power. This entire facility was constructed around the core generators... but the original intention for this entire facility was the containment chamber... with the express purpose of trapping an ascended deity. We needed her to learn as much as we could. But... we could never have imagined that she was the original reason..."

They reached the end of the bridge.

_Retinal Scan Requested._

Anson placed his face close to the scanner. A small holographic grid scanned his pupils.

_Identity Confirmed. Gregory Anson. You may pass._

Another incredibly thick door unlocked and slid out of the way. Stekvan and Roku gave each other a glance before following the scientist through the open passageway.

The interior room was not what they expected. All of the walls were transparent, just like the passageway they had exited. However, since they were now within the sphere, they were not seeing back into the large vacuum chamber, but into the _interior_ of the sphere. Large rotating concentric rings were placed all around the glass room., slowly moving through a swirling mass of a mysterious liquid, one that gave off a faint purplish red glow. The actual shape of the transparent surface was that of a common rectangular prism, but the complicated fluctuations of color just beyond the walls, floor, and ceiling made it difficult to see exactly where central room ended and the rest of the glowing liquid insides of the containment sphere began. Because of this, it felt as if they were within the purple liquid, engulfed in a glowing purple field of energy.

But right at the center of room... was the prisoner.

Directly atop a small pedestal was a metal restraining chair, and sitting in that chair, bound by multiple shining energy ropes, was the same ascended deity that had projected herself to the announcement speech.

Yagoda.

Anson stepped in front of the creature, absolute disdain in his expression.

The creature had the same ominous features as before... one piercing eye, purple skin, and a shifting aura of energy.

"You lied to us," Anson stated.

"I never lied, I simply didn't _fully _reveal the truth," the deity responded, a smile breaking across her lips.

"My race spent thousands of years running from this collapsing universe! Why would you do that? Why would an _ascended deity,_ the epitome of wisdom and enlightenment... take the effort to orchestrate the destruction of an entire existence!"

"I will tell you the truth, human. Today, you will learn why I am here. I was foolish. I accepted the offer of the Void, in my own self, with a plan to overthrow his power. It failed."

"Excuse me?"

"Besides, I am not here to talk to you, Anson. I am here to speak to my dear birdie."

Roku rolled his eyes.

"I hope to Spode she's not be talking about me."

"But I am, tharian. You may not remember me, but I remember you all too well."

Roku took a few hesitant steps forwards, moving up next to where Anson was standing.

"Tell me _now_, who are you?"

"I am simply fascinated by your ignorance."

Roku wasn't in the mood to show patience. He turned to Anson.

"Who is she?"

"She is an ascended deity from the Karadanth Universe. When the fabric of our universe began to fall apart, we were able to observe and study the ascended deities that move between worlds. Regardless of our confidence that this was not natural technology... we... we still took advantage of it. We grabbed hold of everything we could to give ourselves some kind of hope."

"Your species gained capabilities impossible and inconceivable," Yagoda said, "You gained the power to contain an ascended deity!"

"And we used it," Anson said, looking directly at Roku, "Five years ago we discovered this entity being forced out of your universe, out of Epsilon."

"_Forced?_" Chase said from behind, "What could force out an ascended deity?"

"We don't know. It was hard for our scanners to pick up. What we could pick up was all the more terrifying. This deity before you, as oxymoronic as it may be, is an ascended deity corrupted with archon energy."

"Formerly corrupted," Yagoda added, as if making a minor adjustment to Anson's statement.

"We needed as much information as we could attain. This was before we had launched the Tesseract... we were in the dark, and she was our best lead. We used all of our knowledge of ascended deities to build this chamber, an entire complex designed specifically to contain and nullify all capabilities of the ascended prisoner. Keep in mind, these deities are pure psionic energy... it took some major finagling to anchor the vast consciousness into a single restrainable physical form, not to mention huge amounts of power."

"It is torture," Yagoda spoke up, "Not through pain, but through my state of mind. I was once capable of being omni-present, but now I am condemned to space and time!"

Chase took a few steps around Anson and Roku to stand on the other side of them. Yagoda shifted her gaze to the human in interest.

"Sorry if this sounds a bit basic or juvenile," Chase began saying, "But could someone give me a complete briefing on what an ascended deity actually is. I mean, we had theories back in Epsilon, but nothing with proof."

"Ascended deities..." Anson began.

"No," Yagoda interrupted, "Allow me."

Anson shut his mouth in annoyance.

"We, ascended deities, are the souls of reality. The ancestors of new life. We are the completion of the grand cycle of civilization and sentience, the ultimate goal of all knowledge and wisdom."

"Yes, but what does that _mean?_" Chase asked.

"It means, that if a civilization succeeded in not destroying itself, not being destroyed by another race, or not devolving into insanity... it reaches the stage I am at. Their knowledge and wisdom turns inwards... and they ascend. The life form will desert its physical body completely, instead reverting the ultimate energy of the soul and of consciousness. The life form will become completely psionic, unbound by physics and causality."

"Like... a god... almost."

"Some choose to think that. Some choose to use their power to observe the wondrous complexity of reality for the rest of eternity. Some choose to use their ability to create universes of their own. This is how the cycle comes full circle. They start new life, and watch as it grows and evolves within their existence. The only problem... is that once they do, they become anchored to their creation. They give themselves up to create it... to _become _it. They exist for as long as it does, nourishing and protecting its life all through its timeline... until the universe comes to an end. At that time, the ascended deity passes on with it."

"But you didn't do that."

"Precisely. I didn't want that... and I also wasn't content to float within hyperspace admiring complexity. I wanted more. I wanted the joy of shaping a universe without the fear of perishing, of hindering my own immortality."

"So what did you do?"

"She became a parasite," Anson butted in, "She hopped from universe to universe, using her powerful psionic abilities to bend the will of the universe to her own... Time between universes is not constant, it flows in an out of sync, making it very difficult to pinpoint the relationship between events in different worlds. But from what we know, she would find a universe created by another deity, drain the deity of its power... and then rule the universe herself."

"I was not attached to any existence. I was my own power," Yagoda said, "It was truly brilliant, if you think about it. I was a goddess, absolutely eternal, and had complete power. But, even in that grand success, there was something more... Someone had been calling me all that time."

"Let me take a wild stab in the dark... Agriath," Roku finished, having know immediately what to say.

"Agriath indeed..." Yagoda said in a sly tone, "_All _of the ascended ones know of his existence. As we travel through reality, we hear a voice in the distance, emanating from the absolute dread of the dark hollow. We all know what it is, but we ignore it. The entity whose sole desire is a return to nothing... continually screams at creation from the void. But one day... he contacted me. He spoke to me directly."

"And what did he...?"

Yagoda smiled. "What did he say? He gave me a directive. He promised me great power and an endless dominion of universes, if I were to carry out one task. One simple task... I had to destroy another ascended deity... by the name of Aurora."

"You can do that? You can kill other deities?" Roku said.

"Yes, but given the normal status of _peace_ and _wisdom_ that is within ascended deities, killing isn't action that is ever really considered. Reality is so vast, that we normally mind our own business, well... normally. Agriath knew what I had been doing, how I had been preying as a parasite on other universes. He knew that he could use me, for his own deeds. But, I am not foolish. I know, and always have known, what he truly desires. Clearly, my existence is not a part of his _return to absolutely nothing._ I needed a plan of my own. I wasn't going to mindlessly follow his commands."

"And so you..."

"I'll get to that. First, I did what he wanted. I wiped the psionic energy of the deity Aurora off the face of reality. It was quite a battle... but I was stronger."

"But... who _was_ Aurora?" Chase asked.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? I'm sure Anson knows."

Ansons looked confused. "I know? How would I know who this 'Aurora' is... You've literally given us no clues other than..." He paused, an expression of awe covering his face.

Yagoda giggled in a creepy fashion. "Yes, that's right Gregory Anson of the Humans... Aurora was the ascended deity whose essence created this four-dimensional universe... Tetradon. She created your universe."

"And when you destroyed her..."

"Your universe began to die with her. Without the life-force of the being who had created it, Tetradon began to implode in upon itself. This, absolutely, is not natural... an event brought on only by the intervening of Agriath himself, through me."

"And why didn't you tell us all this before?" Anson shouted, obviously angry.

"You pulled me right out of hyperspace and into causality. You restrained me in this containment cell. You questioned me over and over again. Why would you expect me to tell you? You are the unnatural product of my intervention. You are a disease spreading across reality. Don't you realize? Because of what you did, a race in Epsilon followed in your footsteps... but didn't have nearly as much luck as you did. After that event was set in motion, I watched as Agriath's plan unfolded... his ultimate scheme to escape the Dark Hollow... to reach reality and tear it to shreds. He almost succeeded. But as you opened that hole into the hollow, you gave Agriath an escape. But, you _need_ to understand this: He wants more than just control over reality. He wants reality _gone._ If he had he been absolutely successful in reaching the interior of Tetradon, he would have been capable of tearing apart _all_ of reality."

"What?" Anson said, disbelief in his voice, "Now that's just ridiculous. Yes, opening a portal to the hollow is basically just tearing a big fat chunk out of reality... but that's just a hole, and in just one universe. He might have been able to widen the hole, but..."

"You understand so little, human. You assume that all universes are completely separate, with little continuity. _All _ universes are connected in a massive inter-dimensional lattice... a universal framework referred to by my ascended brethren as the 'Causality Lattice'. Quantum Entanglement, an absolutely impossible technology, tears a portion of the lattice to shreds. And, just like a piece of paper, which is hard to pull apart when intact, but easy to shred once a cut has already been made... any rupture in the lattice results in terrifying instability. From all the knowledge of the ascended one's, reality exists as the symbolic embodiment of Agriath's prison. And... Quantum Entanglement is like unlocking the cell door."

This information, was, to say the least, a little bit shocking to the three captains.

"_Now..._ that's not to say the rupture doesn't require some form of amplification, something to add a huge amount of instability into the already present tear... a way to give the tear enough energy to shred apart the entire lattice."

"And where would he get that?" Roku said, "It's not like he ever actually got into Tetradon. The humans here closed the rift with their fail-safe just before he could pass through."

"And all of you, ungrateful mortals, can thank _me_ for that." Yagoda now had a smug look on her face.

"_Huh?_"

"I told you already... I was always suspicious of Agraith's motives. Of course I desired the dominion of universes that Agriath promised... but I was still skeptical of if he would truly deliver. He claimed, back when he asked me to destroy Aurora, that after he got what he wanted he would leave a portion of reality for me to control. But, the moment I sensed his energy moving across the Causality Lattice... and towards rift I had indirectly caused you to create in Tetradon... I knew immediately what his motive was. I knew immediately why he had wanted me to cause the death of your universe... and I knew immediately that he had absolutely no care for what happened to me."

"So... then again I ask... why?"

"He wanted this universe to _slowly_ die for two reasons. Obviously, the first was that he wanted to cause the creation of unnatural entanglement technology, so that a piece of the Causality Lattice could be torn... but he also wanted the surviving inhabitants of this universe to build a device capable of repelling the collapsing force of their dieing universe. He wanted to ensure that they survived long enough to complete the first objective. I was also tasked with ensuring that this happened."

Anson spoke up, "You can't be talking about... _The Ark?_"

"Yes, human. _The Ark of Infinity_. That hyperactive energy core that sits at the heart of this station... that self-sustaining network of interconnected satellites... an endless source of power. That device, where 100% of its potential goes into keeping this universe from imploding. Oh... had you yet to tell your three dimensional friends about it? It's quite a story."

Roku looked over at the Human scientist with a look of curiosity.

"Before we built the Tesseract," Anson explained, "and before we set our sights on capturing an ascended deity... we needed to find a way to survive. We had less than 20 years before Tetradon would completely implode. Amazingly, within the last five years, a miracle came about. Out of nowhere, I had the inspiration for a device that could repel the collapsing universe. Dark Energy is the natural force that causes the expansion of a normal and healthy universe... so why wouldn't it aid us now? It was a massive project... but it worked. We called our finished device the 'Ark of Infinity.' This entire station was constructed around it. Long story short, it uses the same principle as an artificial gravity generator, but in reverse. In order to stop the barrier wall of this universe from fully imploding and vaporizing us... it was necessary to produce a repelling energy. To achieve this, there is a concentric series of large satellites orbiting around Pandora's Rift, along with the planet Ranau and this station, that are all connected and synced to the core of the Tetradon Research Facility. All together, they produce enough outward forcing Dark Energy to slow this universe's collapsing to a near crawl. We bought ourselves an extra 1500 years."

"But... oh so clever human," Yagoda began to say, clearly sarcastic, "Where do you think your miraculous inspiration came from? Not just for your precious Ark, but for the Entanglement technology as well? Hm? Could it be... I don't know... from the one tasked by Agriath to ensure that this unnatural universe survived long enough to produce said entanglement technology?"

"Even if it was you that caused us to produce the Ark and the Rift, what does that have to do with what's happening now?"

"Everything, Anson!" Yagoda exclaimed, her voice ramping up, "I could not directly control _all_ of the humans in this universe... and so, the only way to get you to produce entanglement technology was to whisper the concept into the minds of all of your top scientists... you included, Anson! Do you want to know where that _unnatural_ technology comes from? Do you want to know why a technology capable of releasing the dark one even _exists_? I'll tell you... _it's because it doesn't!_ Nowhere in the natural evolution of a civilization does a technology capable of shredding the Causality Lattice ever appear... _ever!_ Agriath himself knew this. Why is this, you may ask? Simple: in a natural course of a civilization's events, it is impossible to move between universes without ascending. Therefore, it's impossible for any natural civilization to have _any_ knowledge of the causality lattice, the dark hollow, or the Aether between universes... and therefore _no _knowledge of how to break through it! The only time you could even conceive of such a technology, is if you are already ascended! Therefore, my dear audience... Quantum Entanglement is absolutely not natural!"

"And the only reason we created it... was because you influenced us... just like you influenced our creation of the Ark of Infinity..." Anson said.

"Exactly. But, I couldn't just give you the way to create Entanglement... that wouldn't work... as you'd have no understanding of the concepts. Now do you see? That's why you're universe _needed_ to collapse. Agriath wanted you to _see_ the way that hyper-reality worked... so that you could_ understand_ all of the concepts necessary to create Quantum Entanglement... to create the device that would allow him to escape."

Everyone listening remained silent when Yagoda paused.

She continued, "But of course... that method of teaching came with its own risks... you're death. If Tetradon imploded too quickly... you would die before the technology came to be. That was why I also influenced the creation of Ark of Infinity... almost exclusively through you, dear Anson."

"That's the only reason the Ark exists?" Roku asked, "To keep the Tetradon humans alive long enough to release Agriath?"

"I thought so too. I was sorely wrong. Like I was saying before, the moment I saw Agriath moving towards your universe, I realized his true motive. He was going to use the outward forcing power of the Ark like a bomb... an explosion of Dark Energy on the magnitude that is necessary to hold the barrier walls of an entire universe in place... could easily cause massive damage to the tear you had already created to the Dark Hollow. Remember what I said before? In order to truly cause a collapse of the Causality Lattice, Agriath would need a massive energy explosion with enough power to widen the rift you had created. And thanks to his, in all honesty, _brilliant_ planning, he already had that."

At this moment, everything clicked in Roku's mind.

"Dear Spode..." Roku said, taken aback, "He had it planned from the start."

"What?" Chase said.

"It all makes sense," Roku continued, "Agriath couldn't escape the hollow and destroy reality naturally, because reality _was _the thing keeping him at bay. He used an already corrupt deity to not only cause the humans of this world to open a rift to the Dark Hollow... but to have the inhabitants of Tetradon produce a device that could aid in his victory... _AND_ ensure that the first part of the plan came to pass."

"And you realize what that means, right?" Yagoda asked

"Yes, and it's horrifying... It's a double edged sword. There is no correct answer to the problem."

"What do you mean?" Anson asked, a little worried.

"Agriath needs the Ark of Infinity to bring about the end of... well... everything. If he is able to reach the Ark and direct all of its power at Pandora's Rift..."

"The Lattice comes crashing down - reality with it..." Yagoda added.

"But, you _need_ the Ark to survive. If you were to just destroy it now... Tetradon would implode instantly, all of the energy from the Ark falling into the Rift... and... and..."

"The same result would ensue. There is no escape."

Chase was blown away. "But... but since Agriath is in a mortal body right now... if reality was destroyed, he would die too... right?"

"Yeah... and so would _everything else_."

"Fair point."

There was a tense silence of contemplation.

"But he didn't succeed," Yagoda said, continuing her long explanation, "The moment I knew for sure that he wanted nothing more than the destruction of everything, I closed Pandora's Rift. Well... technically I used my psionic ability to strongly suggest one of your scientists to activate the fail-safe closing procedure that uses all of those orbiting stars plus the artifical gravity fluctuations to hold the Rift shut... but you get the point."

"You... saved us?" Anson said.

"I saved everything, human. I should never have trusted the... well... the origin of darkness. He would never have given me a 'dominion of universes.' Why would he?"

"I suppose that's one thing we can be grateful for," Anson stated.

"Not entirely," Yagoda continued, "You outraged Agriath... as he didn't really know of my intervention. He had been _so close_ to escaping the hollow. He had spent an eternity waiting for the perfect opportunity. Waiting for an ascended deity that he could commune with... one that would actually listen to him. He found that, finally, in me. But then... you closed the rift before he could escape."

"So, technically, it's all your fault then..." Chase said, looking directly at the creature, "You're the reason that everything is happening... You're the start of the chain reaction... the thing that caused the fall of Tetradon, of the Jaxxod... and now, once again, the potential destruction of _everything_. But then... what happened after that?... After you saved this universe... what did you do?"

"I watched over it... There was no way that I could fully restore Tetradon, as a universe can only truly be empowered by the deity who created it. I just watched as the humans continued to survive. I watched as they built the Tesseract. I had no influence in that matter. It was merely the humans own brilliant planning - a way to cheat the rules of the universe, without having to worry about Agriath's domain. It would have been absolutely successful. Anson, I don't think you realize how close you were... you could have created that inter-dimensional alliance that you wanted. There was nothing stopping you. The plan was literally brilliant, something I hadn't even thought of... producing a simple static teleport bridge and creating the receiving end by advancing another species in the other universe... simply elegant."

"What are you trying to get at?" Anson asked, in a serious tone.

"You missed one crucial element. And then, thanks to variables beyond your control, the one mistake was amplified ten-fold."

"We know... someone planted a virus within the Tesseract launching software... it ricocheted the object way off course in Epsilon's time stream."

"Yes, such a tragic incident. In truth, I dearly wish I could tell you who it was. But I cannot," Yagoda admitted.

"Wait... Ms. All-seeing deity can't solve the simple mystery of who planted the virus into our mainframe?" Chase asked, a little taken aback.

"No... I can't... because, for reasons I can't explain, the person who planted the virus blocked my sight into the mainframe room. I literally could not see the person who planted the virus. That entire section of the Research Facility just became a hazy gray fog."

"How...?"

"In this regard, you know just as much as I do," Yagoda stated, "I have no idea. All I know... is that someone among the scientists here is not to be trusted."

Everyone gave Yagoda a look of being unsure.

"And no it's not me," Yagoda stated, "What I was trying to say was that you made one tremendous mistake in the production of the Tesseract."

"And what's that?"

"Having created it like a super-monolith powered by 4D in 3D potential energy... you wrapped up all of your knowledge into the cube... hoping to bestow all of your advanced knowledge onto the receiving human race in Epsilon. One problem... you wrapped up _all_ of your knowledge. Not just powerful manipulation of dark energy. Not just unbreakable energy shielding. You gave the receiving species a basic subconscious understanding of the way hyper-reality operated. You gave every race that encountered the Tesseract that _unatural_ capability to create Entanglement technology of their own. Like a disease, it spread to the Jaxxod of Epsilon. And thanks to the mishap with the destination of the Tesseract... that mistake became a glaring flaw... more so than Agriath could have dreamed. There is no 'time' in the Dark Hollow. The same Agriath that tried to enter Tetradon was the same Agriath that managed to enter Epsilon 300 billion years ago from that universe's perspective. We may interpret a difference that we call time... but Agriath does not. In the end, he succeeded. He made it into reality."

"But why didn't he just... destroy reality from within our universe?" Chase asked, still puzzled at the entire situation.

"Because he didn't have the Ark of Infinity..." Roku realized, "He needs that powerful outward forcing source of energy to shred apart the Causality Lattice. Without it there was no point in completely obliterating Epsilon. That's why he didn't just destroy our galaxy when he arrived! He didn't want it destroyed... yet. He wanted to use the inhabitants of our universe like an army to... Oh it all makes sense!"

"What does?" Anson asked.

"Everything that's been happening! At first, I had no idea why the Grand Master was so desperate to come to Tetradon to destroy reality. It all makes sense now... he needs the Ark of Infinity to wipe out reality. Since, way back when Stekvan sealed Agriath's essence into the galactic core... the Master Staff of Life _fixed _the Rift that the Jaxxod had created in the Causality Lattice... now Agriath has no other option. The only way for him to destroy reality is to use the Tesseract that _you_ created to come to Tetradon and re-direct the energy of the Ark of Infinity into Pandora's Rift... just like he originally planned... thereby finally bringing him to the victory that had been delayed over and over again by various means... Yagoda and Stekvan specifically. But to do so... to attain everything he needs to make that plan come to pass... he needs a powerful army to back up his currently mortal form... to help him invade Tetradon. Once he reaches here... he can pass directly through Pandora's Rift and into the Hollow... regaining all of his lost power in the process... all of the power removed by his long presence in the galactic core would come back. He would once again become the all powerful embodiment of archon and evil... and at that point... he could... he could..."

Yagoda finished for the stuttering tharian.

"Use the Ark of Infinity to obliterate all of Reality."

That last comment caused a complete silence among everyone in the room.

They were at the precipice of understanding. This had been Agriath's plan all along.

This was exactly what he had wanted.

Was there any good news?

"But there's still something else that none of you understand..." Yagoda said, a smile breaking across her lips.

"And that is..?" Anson asked.

"Why my dear Roku doesn't remember me."

Roku looked straight at the ominous creature before him.

"My memory is clear. If I had _ever_ met a being anything like you, I would have remembered it."

"Exactly. The fact that you don't is what intrigues me. Such an interesting dilemma... but I suppose..."

"You suppose what?"

Yagoda let out another eerie smile.

"Stekvan knows exactly why... but he's being so mysteriously quiet."

The Jaxxod looked up, straight into the eye of the ascended Yagoda.

"I am contemplating your words."

"Only because you've heard them before. But at least... you remember them."

"What is she talking about?" Roku asked, looking back at Stekvan.

"Do you remember what I said before..." Stekvan asked, "...about what I could do when I was in stasis within Aeron's Galactic Core?"

"You said you could view all of the galaxy at will... that you could watch it develop."

"I witnessed an event... 5 years ago by our time... the re-unification of the Grox Empire."

"I remember that," Roku said, a little confused, "Since the reign of Zarkhator, nearly 20,000 years before any of this craziness started, the Grox Empire had been divided into 6 separate subsidiaries. It was a closely guarded secret, given that the Grox wouldn't want other races to understand the potential weakness."

"And Agriath knew that that wouldn't benefit him..." Yagoda spoke up, "Hey, that's funny... 'that that.'"

"How so?" Roku questioned.

"Um... I don't know. It's just one of those funny things that's grammatically correct but still weird when you say it..."

"No... No... I mean why didn't the Grox division benefit Agriath?"

"He _needed_ to get ahold of the Tesseract for his plan to come to pass. Once the New Tharians got their hands on it, and became what they are now, there was no way a single faction of the Grox would have been powerful enough to take them down. He needed an army resilient enough to take out the New Tharians in one fell swoop... and he could only find that in a single, unified, and fully coordinated Grox Empire. By that same extent, he would only be able to swiftly take control of the Grox if their cybernetics were all unified in a single Grox Matrix Core. If they were divided, it would add a fair amount of risk to his plan. After all, nothing would be worse than for Agriath to die in his mortal host body. He wanted a guaranteed victory."

"And so he..."

"You guys won't even believe this. I was utterly surprised myself. He called upon _me_ for help again."

"_You?"_

"Well... he had no knowledge of how I betrayed him when I closed the Rift. He simply assumed it was sheer bad luck on his part, that the humans had managed to close the Rift. He needed another helper... but this time he was calling from a different prison. Now he was trapped within the temporal prison that Stekvan created in Aeron's Galactic Core... Kind of ironic, if you think about it."

"What did he ask you to do?"

Stekvan spoke up again, responding to Roku's question. "Agriath wanted her to do whatever was necessary to re-unite the Grox. He didn't care how she did it, as long as the objective was complete. And she... she had fun with that task."

Yagoda let out a long and creepy girly laugh. "Indeed I did. I left Tetradon to go to Epsilon... a powerful and young universe. Agriath had spent a good 300 billion years trapped _within time_, in _your_ universe. It had taken him that much time to build up the energy necessary to communicate with someone outside of the core. And his first priority as a contact... was me. He told me that he sensed that soon, a captain would attempt to reach the galactic core, but that he, unlike all of the previous captains, would not simply accept the staff of life and move on. You see... Agriath could, just as Stekvan, see across the galaxy - and he was, also, rather clever... as much as I don't want to admit it. He could tell when events would be leading towards his escape. And 20 years ago... he saw that his chance to escape was approaching. To make way for his domination, he needed the Grox unified. So what did I do? I obliged to his request, very gratefully."

"So how did you accomplish... you know... unification?" Roku asked.

"I could sit here all day telling you wonderful people another cheerful story, but I'd rather just _show_ you - Roku specifically."

"What do you mean?"

"Touch my arm... and I will give you all of the memories taken from you."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because you know that I'm telling the truth. Deep within your subconscious something is screaming for you to listen to me... to return the memories stolen from you. Your mind desires what was lost. All you have to do to get it back... is to touch me."

Roku hesitated for a moment, and then slowly raised his hand.

"Roku don't," Anson said, "If you make physical contact with her... all of these protective barriers mean nothing... she could _kill_ you in an instant."

Roku looked over at the Human scientist, but then turned back to Yagoda. Her single eye seemed to be staring into his soul. The aura of energy around her was still exceptionally foreboding.

But somehow... he knew what he needed to do.

Roku reached out his hand, moving his fingers closer to the glowing purple skin on Yagoda's right arm.

"Roku stop!" Anson shouted.

The tharian didn't listen. His fingers were inches away.

"STOP!"

Roku's index finger made contact with the skin of the ascended deity. At that instant, Anson's screaming was drowned out. Light was everywhere. The world was spinning.

Suddenly and inexplicably... came unbelievable understanding. He remembered it... all of it. Names were flying through his head... events coming back into place. An entire month of his life had been removed from his perspective. It was all coming back...

Kirk.

Brecca.

Pwy.

Vautre.

Civet.

The war for peace.

The unification of the Grox.

He had _been_ there.

He had _seen_ it happen.

Harko had been taken captive.

Roku had rescued him.

He had avenged him.

He helped Amy...

Amy...

That name came tumbling into Roku's mind. Sudden realization was sparked into existence. She was taken from earth by the Grox... thanks to Yagoda. She was used in a horrendous game of puppets to re-unite the Grox subsidiaries. Roku had been there when Amy's bravery shined like an unending light in the darkness. She had cast Yagoda out of Epsilon... with her own power.

_That_ was what Anson had seen. The power of life and truth had sent Yagoda's archon laced form out of their universe.

And in the end... Amy and Kirk were forced to wipe Roku's memory... to keep knowledge of what had taken place a secret from all of the galaxy. It had to be done.

The world returned to normal. Roku suddenly took his hand away from Yagoda, taking a few steps back.

"You... you... I..."

"It is much to take in... I know," Yagoda said to the tharian, "But it is the truth."

"You tried to use the united Grox Empire to take over the galaxy... you still wanted dominion over _our_ universe. But it didn't work. You were stopped. And from then on... Agriath knew that you could _not_ be trusted anymore."

"And I wasn't. Never again. But it didn't matter, for even when I was cast out of Epsilon, Agriath achieved what he wanted. The Grox were unified. Everything was set in place for his return. All he needed was the inevitable captain to come and give him the opportunity to escape. He finally found _that_ in Dimitri. I'm sure you remember the story."

"Regardless, I have a question for _Stekvan_," Roku said, turning around to face a rather perplexed Jaxxod, "Why didn't you tell me about any of this? You saw that entire series of events unfold... but you never told me? _Why?_"

Stekvan paused for a moment.

"Two reasons... it wasn't necessary to further any of our missions or objectives and... secondly... to save you from the pain."

"What... but I... pain?"

Then it hit him.

Brecca. The Grox who had shown compassion. The Grox who had not succumbed to the darkness of those around her. The Grox who Roku had killed without a second thought. The idea smashed into his brain like a rock.

He now saw the events from a different perspective. He saw the horrendous actions he had taken... that he had forgotten.

A single tear began to roll out of Roku's left eye. He quickly turned back around to face Yagoda.

"Interesting... isn't it..." Yagoda said, "The past."

"What then..." Roku asked, taking a deep breath and composing himself, "What did you do afterwards?"

"After I was cast out of Epsilon, the humans here in Tetradon finally got their deity-catcher up and running. They saw me... and placed me in this spode-forsaken prison chamber."

"That's it?" Chase said.

"Yes, that's it... what? Trust me, it was just as anti-climactic for me. Funny how fate works out... that I was captured by technology that wouldn't even exist if it weren't for my own meddling."

"Yes... ironic indeed," Anson said.

"So all of that is the past... what do you want _now?_" Roku said as a final question.

"I want Agriath destroyed. I want reality saved. I no longer desire a dominion of universes... I simply want the existence of all universes. Even if you don't believe me. Even if you still think I am the dark creature I once was... then believe this: One cannot rule universes if there are none in existence. I _will_ help you to the absolute best of my ability. I _will _stop Agriath."

Roku didn't speak for a moment. The situation presented a seemingly impossible choice.

"Can we release her, Anson?" Roku asked, turning to face the scientist.

"As much as it may be tempting, I simply cannot allow it. You may risk your own life by touching the goddess all day long... but you will not put the lives of my fellow humans at risk. Releasing her is putting this entire universe in danger. She helped Agriath multiple times... albeit with alternatives motives... but all the same, she did not desire good for either of our universes. She cannot be trusted... she _is_ a threat."

Roku looked back at Yagoda.

"Are you simply going to stand there, Roku Azero?" the deity asked.

"I am not going to challenge Anson to anything. He is right. We cannot trust you, regardless of anything you've said or done for us today."

"Then the war is already over..." Yagoda muttered, "Besides... you have a bigger problem at hand."

"And what's that?" Stekvan asked.

"The Grand Master didn't just send you here to learn a whole bunch of background information. He was testing out his quantum gateway... _trapping _you here."

"What?"

"He deactivated the gateway on Thar, shutting off the connection between the two universes, for now at least. I sensed that right after all of you arrived. There is no way for you to return home. You are stuck here."

* * *

"This ends today!" Arcadia shouted, charging into battle.

He pulled his arms back and then sliced forwards, activating the potent energy blades strapped to his wrists, giving him a clear shot at hitting the human standing before him.

Instinctively, Alan responded. The human almost gracefully jumped backwards, dodging the incoming blades.

Arcadia, not wishing to be in a vulnerable position, quickly reset his arms, jumping backwards as well.

"Anxious to fight now, are we?" Alan said, again in his annoyingly smug voice. He was standing straight up with his arms crossed, the tritium armor giving him a powerful form of defense.

"Don't get too confident, human." Arcadia shouted, accelerating forwards. With a quick motion of his arms, a spear of solid ice was brought into existence through the water molecules in the air. Grabbing hold of it with his right arms, he tossed it forwards like a javelin.

Alan threw his arms up in defense, a wall of fire erupting and forming a protective barrier. As the ice spear flew through the field of molten heat, it almost instantly vaporized into liquid water, falling to the ground with an anti-climactic _splash_.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Chimera," Alan stated, smiling.

Alan dashed towards the Chimera, bringing his arms down to his side. Between his palms, a bright sphere of plasma was forming. Right as he got near the Chimera, he brought it up, opening his hands and releasing the energy.

A torrent of flames was released at Arcadia. The heat from the blast could be felt all around the Kimplemvora Prison lobby.

Arcadia immediately brought all four of his arms up in a block position. A solid wall of ice erupted in front of him, forming a solid wall between him and the advancing column of death.

The fire torrent smashed into the ice wall, slowly eroding away at the barrier. The ice was inevitably subject to melting.

"You can't hide forever... Arcadia," Alan stated.

"I don't need too," the Chimera responded coldly.

Arcadia made a large forwards push motion with his arms. The wall of ice obliged, dislodging from its position in the ground and blasting forwards, directly at Alan.

The human was taken by surprise for a moment, but quickly compensated. He dropped his arms, stopping the flow of the fire beam. An instant later, Alan made an impressive jump upwards clearing the ice wall. He proceeded to perform a second jump off of the top of moving ice wall, just before front flipping and landing effortlessly on his feet. He stood back up and looked towards Arcadia, who easily had a look of frustration on his face.

"You will not be rid of me as easily as you thought," Alan said.

The human brough both of his arms up, pointing them directly left and right, with his palms facing outwards.

Suddenly, the temperature began to rise. The area within the shield was experiencing an extreme increase in temperature. This couldn't be good.

An aura of flames was building up around Alan's body, and before Arcadia could do anything, it exploded outwards. In a radial blast, a wall of fire was sent hurtling in all directions. At the last second, Arcadia threw one of his arms up, creating a second ice barrier. As the heat from the blast smashed into the ice wall, it caused an almost instant warping of its shape, bending it into a concave, almost shield-like appearance.

The blast of fire continued on past Arcadia, smashing into the actual energy shield that was isolating their battle. The entirety of the kronon barrier was visible in that instant. It was a large hemisphere, extending up at least 20 feet above where the Chimera and the human were fighting.

The heat from the blast was so intense, that once the fire had dissipated, Arcadia's ice shield was gone.

"So, you are not easily killed either," Alan said, looking at the Chimera captain with a mock 'impressed' look.

"The first correct thing you've said so far."

Arcadia launched himself forwards, using his powerful Chimera legs to give him an impressive jump. As he was in mid air, he channeled his alminar ability to create four separate ice spears, one in each arm.

"This ends now!"

Arcadia thrust all of his arms together, sending all four objects on a collision course with the human. In response, Alan did the unthinkable. He jumped up, using the accelerating ice spears as mid-air platforms. With a large evil smile on his face, Alan created another large energy sphere between his hands.

"Indeed it does," Alan said calmly.

They were now both in mid-air - Arcadia falling and Alan moving upwards. Alan threw his arms forwards, smashing the plasma orb directly into the Chimera's chest. Another large explosion of fire, this one not nearly as forgiving.

The plasma blast sent Arcadia hurtling towards the opposite end of the lobby, where he collided with the shield and slid slowly down to the ground.

Alan landed back on the floor, the ice spears having impacted the metal behind him.

"Come on Arcadia. Did you think I wasn't trained extensively in battle techniques? It's over. Stop now."

"Never."

Arcadia jumped back to his feet, taking a few large breaths before charging at Alan again.

This time he was not going to back down. There would be no hesitation.

With one of his arms, he charged up another ice spear. With the rest... he channeled a large cloud of extremely low temperature, directing it at Alan.

To the humans surprise, he suddenly felt ice build up all across his body. He couldn't move, his body was being frozen in place. To the humans dismay, his form was quickly enclosed within a large block of ice.

Following up this action, Arcadia readied the ice spear in his arm. He grabbed hold of it firmly, and then thrust it forwards with all of his might. The large chunk of ice easily sliced through Alan's ice enclosure, directed on a path that would have passed through Alan's body.

That had to have worked.

But Arcadia did have doubts... and his doubts were confirmed.

Moments later, the ice enclosure began to melt. Not long after that, it instantly vaporized into a puddle of water. Alan was completely unschathed.

"Did you honestly think a spear of ice is going to be able to penetrate this armor?" Alan asked, moving across the now soaking wet floor and towards Arcadia, "It's solid tritium. Frozen water isn't going to accomplish anything."

"I am just getting started Alan."

"Are you? You look pretty exhausted to me."

"You don't understand. I will never stop. No matter what happens... I will continue to fight!"

Arcadia extended all four of his arms, producing a large torrent composed of a violent and swirling blizzard. It was a single beam directed at Alan, containing nothing but spinning snow, hail, and sharp chunks of ice.

Alan smiled.

With his own power, he created a beam firing in the opposite direction, this one containing plasma, thermal energy, and an aura of fire.

They collided in the center of the prison lobby.

A shockwave blasted outwards in all directions, slamming into the shield just as before. It was a battle for dominance and power. The two beams were pushed back and forth, both members of the battle trying with all of their might to obliterate the other. A steady flow of water was pouring out of the collision point between the two beams, making a thin and slowly rising layer of water underneath the battle.

"No more!" Arcadia exclaimed.

Arcadia's ice beam suddenly grew in power by several orders of magnitude. Not prepared for the assault, Alan's plasma beam was quickly enveloped in the incoming ray of frost. Seconds later, Alan was hit directly with a flurry of ice and wind, knocking him off of his feet and sending him flying backwards a good 15 feet.

Without delay, Arcadia sprinted over to where Alan landed. Before Alan could get back on his feet, he was enclosed within another ice prison, this one locking him to the metal floor of the lobby. However, Arcadia intentionally left Alan's head out of the enclosure.

The Chimera captain slid to a halt and pulled out his plasma pulser, pointing the barrel directly at the head of the trapped human.

"Make any attempt to escape and you're face will be instantly treated to a blast of exotic energy."

Alan smiled, and didn't make any struggle. "What's this going to accomplish?"

"Before you die. I need an answer. What happened to Roku, Stekvan, and Chase?"

"Those three? Oh, I assure you you'll never see the three of them again."

"The truth, Alan!"

"Why should I tell you? You're just going to kill me anyway."

Arcadia didn't respond to that comment, he simply stood his ground.

"Do it then," Alan said, staring into the eyes of the Chimera, "Kill me, the brother of Chase. Kill the one he grew up with... the only member of his family left. Come on... do it!"

Arcadia's plasma pulser was shaking. He had to make a choice, right now. He had the ability to kill Alan without remorse. He had the ability to avenge all those who were killed on Phyrchous.

But would he?

He had waited too long.

"Arcadia, look out behind you!" Maruck screamed from behind the shield.

The Chimera felt a blade press up against his neck.

"Too late," a cold voice whispered into his ear.

It was Veara.

She had a nasty habit of showing up at the worst possible times.

One of the Artlen's arms was firmly grasping the Chimera by a pressure point, while the other had a glowing red dagger making light contact with the lower part of Arcadia's neck.

"It's a blade laced with pure archon. If you even get so much as a scratch... you're dead," Veara hissed, her face position just next to Arcadia's right ear.

Alan, now free from possible annihilation, melted the prison around him. He stood up, water dripping off of his armor.

"How did you...?"

"Short-range teleport. Did you honestly think the Grand Master would send Alan alone out here to kill you? Please."

Arcadia's mind was racing for a possible escape. He could only think of one.

"Maruck!" Arcadia shouted, carefully trying to make sure that his neck moved as little as possible, "Can you destroy this shield?"

"No, not without killing you too," Maruck responded, anxiously.

Arcadia thought for a moment, and then realized what needed to happen.

From the bottom of the Chimera's feet, a sheet of ice began to form. It shot out in every direction across the floor. As it reached the dome-like shield, it began to crawl up the sides. The ice was forming in the shape of the shield, creating a solid and visible wall just in front of the position of the shield.

"What are you doing, Chimera?" Veara asked, snidely.

The ice completely enclosed their position. The shield was hidden behind the dome of ice.

"Now Maruck!" Arcadia shouted, hoping the scorpnak could hear him.

He did.

Maruck channeled his own ability, focusing it on the kronon barrier. The shield vibrated and distorted, before releasing all of its energy in a massive cascade of exotic energy.

The energy smashed into the ice barrier, disintegrating it in the process. The energy from the cascade also accelerated upwards, filling in every area of the lobby it could reach.

Maruck himself was channeling his own power to protect his body from disintegration.

The metal of the walls was heavily damaged in the process. Thankfully, the ice barrier had provided just enough matter to satisfy the exotic energies ravenous appetite. Veara, Alan, and Arcadia were safe, but, like Arcadia had planned, the shield was gone.

The energy from the collapsing shield hit the glass window at the top of the lobby. It shattered on contact. A downpour of sharp shards of glass was now raining towards everyone in the lobby.

Veara looked up to view what was happening. Perfect - Just a moment of distraction - exactly what Arcadia needed.

The Chimera reached up with his right hand, grabbing the arm Veara was using to hold the dagger against his throat. He pulled it away from his neck, proceeding to spin around on the spot, allowing his long Chimera tail to smack Veara in the chest. This knocked her back and sent her skidding across the floor. The dagger went spinning off in a random direction, slowing to a stop.

Not wasting any more time, Arcadia generated another ice shield above his head. He looked across the room to see the Maruck had ducked underneath one of the random desk scattered around the lobby. Veara and Alan quickly activated shields built into their armor.

The glass rained down on all of them, impacted the respective protective barriers. After a good 15 seconds a shear chaos, everyone in the lobby had managed to survive the downpour of lethal objects.

As Arcadia threw his shield off to the side, he felt a sudden and especially undesirable increase in temperature directly behind him. The Chimera looked over his shoulder to see Alan standing there, his arm outstretched, with _another_ plasma orb readied in his hand.

"Veara may not have been able to kill you, but I will!"

Arcadia was not prepared. He had no armor, no protection. This blast would kill him. He needed a miracle.

**BAM.**

A huge explosion took everyone off-guard. As Alan fired his plasma orb, it went ricocheting way off course, as its controller had been thrown off of his feet. Arcadia collapsed to the ground, and Veara, who was standing back up, was thrown off balance.

The doorway to the Flight Deck... The doorway to the section of the prison facility that had been their destination... was gone.

All that remained was a massive crater in the wall, the edges of which were signed with glowing plasma. Behind the breach _was_ Flight Deck 37. But at the center of that... was something far more amazing.

Arcadia realized what was happening. While he had been battling Alan... Harko had hacked the final door between them and Deck 37. He had gone in and taken it upon himself to use one of the spaceships weapon system to obliterate the wall between them and the Flight Deck itself.

Regardless of that, it wasn't the fact that Harko had used a spaceship to blow a huge hole in the wall of the Prison facility that was surprising. _Far from it._

It was _what_ spaceship Harko had used to blow a huge hole in the wall of the Prison facility that was so jaw-droppingly unbelievable.

Hovering before Arcadia, was something he absolutely couldn't believe.

A piece of technology he had through was destroyed.

The crown-jewel of New Tharian space vessels.

_The Tharak._

And in the cockpit of said vessel, Arcadia could see a smiling and waving Harko. The entire vessel was just big enough to fit inside the lobby, although it didn't move past its position.

The tritium glass that composed the front part of the cockpit split in two and spread apart, giving a clear view of the pilot.

"I guess this is what happens when you don't destroy a valuable piece of New Tharian engineering," Harko said from within the Tharak, "I _suppose_ you guys thought it would be smart to move the Tharak off of Phyrhcous before it was destroyed so that you could study its rather original and unique twin dark energy engine design... created by yours truly... but in the end... it was kind of stupid." The tharian was looking down at the four fighters in the middle of the lobby. "I guess this is what Roku meant by 'something of incredible use.' Hah! You bet this is of incredible use. Oh and wait a minute, that's right! I have teleport beaming technology! Oh... and yeah, even better... Veara had to disable whatever nullifier this moon had to get here... how convenient!"

"You will not escape!" Alan shouted in retaliation

"ASCEND!" Harko exclaimed.

"No!"

It was too late.

Two beams of light shot out of the belly of the Tharak, engulfing Maruck and Arcadia. To the absolute dismay of both Veara and Alan, they were situated within the spaceship shortly after.

The cockpit of the tharak closed, with Arcadia and Maruck placed safely inside.

"Engage engines! Full speed short of FTL!" Harko commanded.

The computer obliged. The engines ignited. The Tharak blazed upwards, blasting outwards through the now open ceiling. Veara and Alan could do nothing but stand in the center of the lobby and watch as the heroes escaped.

Maruck and Arcadia didn't even have time to sit down. The Tharak blazed out of Kimplemvora's atmosphere, the inertia of which sent the two captains smashing into the back of the ship, their bodies pressed against the metal thanks to Newton's first law.

"I didn't say I wanted to leave!" Arcadia shouted, "I had unfinished business with Alan!"

"As does Chase. But for you, it would have resulted in _death_," Harko responded, attempting to pilot the Tharak and speak to Arcadia at the same time, "We can't worry about grudges right now. We have a mission."

"What _is_ our mission now?" Maruck asked.

"We head straight for the Tharian Control Tower. We need to find and re-activate whatever this 'Quantum Gateway' thing is!"

"Wait... you know how to fly the Tharak?" Maruck shouted.

"I _built_ the Tharak!"


	36. Completing the Paradox

_Yes, two full chapters at once. Enjoy._**  
**

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

36: Completing the Paradox

* * *

"Bank left!" Maruck shouted at the top of his lungs.

Harko instantly complied, shifting the diagram on the holographic control panel. The Tharak swerved, dodging a huge chunk of a destroyed flagship, flames pouring out where the oxygen fields of the wreckage were still holding.

Maruck, Harko, and Arcadia were aboard the Tharak, flying through the extensive and chaotic battle taking placing in and above Thar's atmosphere. Thousands of Grox raider vessels and warships pitted themselves against an unending barrage of spacecrafts from every empire in the Aeron Alliance. It was a glorious and terrifying sight to behold. The battle took place on all sides of the planet, forming a cocoon of explosions, debris, shields, and plasma lasers. From Thar's surface, the sky would appear lit up with a horrendous display of fireworks... "fireworks" created by one of the greatest and most pivotal battles in the history of the Aeron Galaxy.

In a battle like this... normally they would have feared attack from one of the enemy spacecraft. This was not so for two very distinct reason: the battle was so fierce and chaotic that the presence of the Tharak was not something any of the Grox would be able to take note of... and secondly... the Tharak was the fastest spacecraft in the known galaxy.

It was more than capable of blazing through the battle before anyone turned their heads.

"Down!" Arcadia exclaimed.

The Tharak plummeted, the roof of the vessel scratching the bottom of another sufficiently large chunk of metal as it passed underneath it.

"Guys! I can pilot this myself, I don't need your distractions!" Harko retorted, turning his head a bit to look back at Arcadia and Maruck.

"Fine... but..." Maruck said, "UP NOW!"

Harko snapped his head back to looking out the main cockpit window just in time to see a flaming Grox raider vessel hurtling towards their position. The tharian pilot shifted the controls upwards, and the Tharak complied. They just barely dodged the sudden scare, a look of awe forced onto every passenger of the Tharak.

"Okay... fine. I guess you can be useful..." Harko admitted, not looking away from the window this time.

The Tharak continued to blaze through the battle, ignoring confrontation with any of the chaos around it. As they swerved in every direction imaginable, they saw their destination draw closer and closer.

The planet below.

They were exiting the bulk of the battle, a layer of fire building up around the Tharak's sturdy shields as they entered Thar's atmosphere. It was daytime on this side of the planet, the star Pyles shining above them. The ships coordinates were locked on to Alyxia... or more specifically, the Tower that occupied the center of that urban complex.

Maruck picked up the information cube given to them by Roku, from the metal floor next to him. The scorpnak had been tasked with holding on to it since the randomly enthusiastic Roku had given it to them back on Kimplemvora. He pressed down on the surface of the object, the shaking of the Tharak making it difficult to be precise. A holographic to-do list popped up, displaying the text:

_Reach Flight Deck 37._

_ Fly to Alyxia._

_ Dock on Main Control Tower level 500._

_ Reactivate Quantum Gateway with Tesseract (for instructions click __here__)_

_ Wait for Stekvan, throw this cube through the Quantum Gateway._

"Can you dock on the Main Control Tower, Harko?" Maruck asked.

"I can try. It depends on how much security it has. Normally it... wait..."

The Tharak was now leveling out, changing its angle to be parallel to the surface of Thar. They were now within the Alyxia city limits, flying at level with most of the average sized spires and buildings. But something was wrong...

It was immediately clear that the surface of Thar was no more peaceful than the violent battle in the space far above them. Large amounts of air and ground forces were streaking in every directions across the city. Looking down through the windows, Maruck, Harko, and Arcadia could see Tharians and Grox fighting all across the city.

It was... a rebellion.

The moment the Alliance had arrived, it had sparked hope into all of the surviving Tharians. But had these weaponless citizens been the only ones in the battle... it would have ended a long time ago. No, there was more. Forces from all of the empires of the alliance were streaming out of dropships in all parts of Alyxia. Their mission appeared to be clear:

Evacuate as many New Tharians as possible.

Then the Thark drew within view of the Main Control Tower... and were shocked by its appearance.

The Tower itself looked like it had suffered damage... _heavy _damage. Two chunks of the reinforced exterior walls were missing, one near the top of the tower, and one much closer to the base, which revealed tritium support beams and a good portion of the actual floors in between. Flames were pouring out of the openings, smoke clouds billowing up into the sky. A slight northward wind was making the clouds of smoke waft away from the city. Large sparks of energy also seemed to be jutting out of the openings... rouge blasts of exotic energy. The tower was destabilizing... what had happened to it?

"What... the tower... how did it?" Arcadia tried to ask.

"The Grox have control of it... remember? They would likely have been using all of its weaponry and defenses as a means of keeping the Alliance out of Alyxia. The Alliance would have had no choice but to attack the Tower's defenses."

"But I thought the Tower was way sturdier than that..." Maruck expressed, a little confused.

"I did too..."

"We can't focus on that now," Arcadia said, "We need to complete our objective, first and foremost."

They drew closer to the tower, re-ascending the Tharak's distance from the ground. They flew miles back up into the sky, until the Tharak sat situated on the same level as the pinnacle of the tower's architecture.

Through the window, Harko, Arcadia, and Maruck saw level 500 of the Main Control Tower - Fifty feet in width, a circular platform made of solid tritium, with four large spokes in the four cardinal directions. Now, obelisk-like structures formed a circle around the center... and within that circle... was the Tesseract, shining and shifting like it normally did. The obelisks were no more than 10 feet from the Tesseract itself, and seemed to be generating a powerful shield protecting it from... well... probably them.

Surrounding this position was a large squadron of Dronox guards. Their hideous animal-like faces covered in cybernetics was never a sight to behold. They were abominations made to serve the Grox. They sneered at the sight of the Tharak, raising their various weaponry at the approaching spacecraft.

Arcadia and Maruck smiled at the sight.

"Do you want left or right?" Arcadia asked.

"Um... left."

"Ready?" Harko asked.

"As we'll ever be."

"Activating beam teleport."

A white light enveloped the scopnak and chimera in the back of the Tharak, obscuring their vision and blurring the world... until suddenly...

They were standing on the surface of top of level of the control tower, off to the side closest to the hovering Tharak.

Teleportation was _awesome._

"There they are!" one of the Dronox exclaimed, emitting a loud growl in the process. The squadron of defenders, at least 7 of them by the looks of it, began to converge on their position. Some had plasma rifles, others had exotic matter swords, and some even carried archon laced crossbows.

"Go!" Arcadia commanded.

The Chimera slammed his top right arm against the tritium floor beneath them. On command, an ice wall condensed into position, creating a large barrier of frozen water. The barrier extended from Arcadia horizontally across the entirety of level 500, splitting the level along its diameter.

Now, the enemies were separated.

Maruck and Arcadia bounded into action, the scorpnak taking the left side of the ice wall, and the chimera the right.

Arcadia was quick to dispose of his enemies. The first aggressive Dronox found an ice spear impaling him and then sending him hurtling back in the direction he came from, knocking over another Dronox in the process. The next Dronox almost immediately discovered that large chunks of ice can have a _lot_ of momentum, particularly through the experience of being thrown off his feet and sent flailing off the side of level 500, disappearing into the city far below.

The Dronox who had been knocked over was now back on his feet, slashing an exotic matter sword at the steadfast Chimera captain. Arcadia dodged each swipe with ease, waiting for the opportunity to strike bike. He found it when the Dronox swept downwards. Just before the blade impacted, a protected ice shield phased into existence in the nick of time. The sword impacted the shield, slowly melting through it... but before it could make any further progress, a quick forward thrusting of the ice shield sent it - as well as the exotic matter sword now lodged into it - flying away and clattering off the edge of level 500. The now disarmed Dronox had a look of fear stuck on his face as Arcadia unleashed a blast of frozen blizzard-like wind, knocking him back far enough to send him falling off the edge of the Control Tower as well.

Across the ice barrier, Maruck was having success of his own.

Maruck's first Dronox attacker quickly found his cybernetic weaponry and targeting systems very inaccurate when thousands of volts of electricity is sent surging through them. Namely... the rocket launcher in his arm self-detonated before a rocket had even left the barrel.

Yeah... that guy wasn't getting back up.

The next attacker Maruck had to face experienced a barrage of punches and kicks, before falling to the ground in a similar immobile state.

The third Dronox was holding a metallic crossbow loaded with a bolt glowing of reddish archon energy. Even a scratch from that... and Maruck was dead. Even as he though of this, the enemy was pointing the weapon at the scorpnak, swiftly firing it without a second thought.

Maruck's instincts kicked in, and his entire body dropped to the surface beneath him without hesitation. The bolt narrowly missed one of the spikes on the back of Maruck's head. _That_ was close.

The scorpnak raised his left arm, arcing large amounts of electricity into the attacker. The Dronox shaked violently for a few seconds, before collapsing to the tritium floor. Maruck stopped channeling his ability, and the Dronox still lay there - with the occasional spark or twitch.

Arcadia soon after lowered the barrier between the two sides of level 500, the ice melting into water and pouring out and over the sides of the tower. With the enemies dispatched, Maruck and Arcadia regrouped near the Tesseract, standing between two of the obelisks nearest the still-hovering Tharak.

"Um... we got em'" Maruck said, a smile on his lips.

"_I can see that,"_ Harko said through the ship's loudspeaker, _"I'm coming down to meet you."_

Maruck and Arcadia observed as the Tharak's position seemed to lock in place when Harko froze the ship's coordinates relative to the planet they were on.

Another beam of white light protruded from the Tharak's belly, and when it subsided, Harko was standing on level 500 of the Control Tower as well.

"Let's not waste any time. We have no idea how long it'll be until more squadrons are sent in to defend this place," Arcadia spoke up.

"But wait," Maruck interrupted, "It seems a bit odd the Grand Master would trust one squadron of Dronox to defend the Tesseract. Don't you think that..."

Suddenly, the information cube in Maruck's belt began to vibrate, and a message began to play through unseen speakers.

_"Keyphrase Noticed - 'It seems a bit odd the Grand Master would trust one squadron of Dronox to defend the Tesseract.' - relaying message:"_

It was now Roku's voice, playing through the information cube he had given them.

"_Maruck, Harko, and Arcadia... do not worry about the absence of guards. It will make sense soon. When you understand... it may not be in your favor, but you need to continue. This cube contains all of the hacking codes necessary to bypass the Grox's security placed on the Gateway controls. I know you will succeed."_

Harko was already moving, running over to the nearest of the four obelisks surrounding the hovering Tesseract, which continued to glow a deep blue. The tharian engineer placed his hand on the obelisk, and a small holographic insignia materialized around his hand.

"Open control systems," Harko stated.

The computer complied, causing four separate holographic panels to appear, one between each of the four obelisks surrounding the Tesseract. The panels hovered 5 feet off the ground and had a multitude of adjustable variable scattered across its surface. Large print text was scrolling across a message bar on the top of the panel:

_Warning: Control Tower unstable. Heavy damage suffered. Quantum Core unstable._

It repeated over and over... but they knew what needed to be done.

"Maruck, hand me that information cube," Harko said, stretching out his left arm.

"Here ya' go," Maruck responded, tossing the small storage device towards the tharian, who caught it and began to examine its surface. He pulled up the same holographic menu Maruck previously had. This time, however, he called up the instructions for how to "_Reactivate Quantum Gateway With Tesseract_."

Another set of steps popped onto the holographic screen:

_Place Cube within level 500 information receptacle._

_ Use Panel to call up the Program OpenGateway_

_ Activate program with 40 megavolts of system priority._

Harko observed the instructions for a moment before following through. Using his free hand, Harko pulled up a small square shaped receptacle on level 500's control panel. It was the same size as the cube, and as such Harko was easily able to slide it within the recepticle. A beeping noise followed the sound of hover clamps locking it in place.

Harko proceeded to press and adjust a few more variables on the panel's surface. Arcadia and Maruck watched with interest, although they were somewhat confused as to what the tharian was actually doing.

"This should do it," Harko stated, touching a final location on the holographic panel.

"_Executing Program 'OpenGateway,'" _ a computerized voice chimed.

Soon after, the shield surrounding the Tesseract evaporated, and the four obelisks generating it slowly slid back into ground beneath them.

The Tesseract was now floating freely in the middle of level 500, surrounded only by the four holographic panels.

After a few moments of waiting, the program continued.

_"Routing Energy from Xeton Generators."_

Harko took a few steps back, somewhat unsure of what was going to happen next.

On all sides of the tower, placed in a circle throughout the city, the thirteen remaining xeton generators began to glow. They could see their energy amidst the chaos of the battle. Even as smoke pillars extended into the sky, and buildings crumbled under the blasts of a plethora of varying weaponry... the energy of the xeton generators stood out like a beacon.

What proceeded was exactly like what Roku, Stekvan, and Chase had experienced when they were initially sent to Tetradon.

Large beams of shining energy blazed out of the tops of the xeton generators, slicing through the matter in the air and heading towards the top of the Main Control Tower. All thirteen energy beams passed into their respective receptacles on the large processor located just below top level of the Tower. The surface beneath the captain's feet began to glow and warm in temperature as immeasurable amounts of power coursed through the Tower's systems. All of the energy rocketed down constructed conduits, funneling into the Quantum Core on the base of the Tower. In its planned efficiency, the energy rocketed back up through Tower's central conduit, slamming back into the processor near the top of the tower and forming an infinite loop.

Maruck, Harko, and Arcadia's eyes were drawn to the glass-like circular surface beneath the Tesseract. It was now glowing the same color as the object hovering above. The bright blue energy began to leak upwards, engulfing the Tesseract in a mass of hard-to-look-at brightness. Lasers shot from each of spokes situated in the cardinal directions. They seemed to be holding the Tesseract in place whilst it was bombarded with incredible amounts of energy.

"What in the name of Spode..." Maruck began to say.

Before he could finish, there was a gigantic outward expansion of shining bright light, forming an ellipse as it blasted outwards and away from level 500, traveling an impressive distance across the city.

This event was something that even the combat occupied residents of Alyxia would notice. This was something that would soon be visible to even those battling high above in the skies and those all in the nearby occupied space.

The energy leaking up from the surface and towards the tesseract suddenly began to move faster than it had ever done before... accelerating at a rate exponentially terrifying. It was like a geyser of dark energy had just erupted, sending its tremendous power far into the sky.

Looking up, Maruck couldn't see where the energy ended... it seemed to extend on forever.

The computer chimed one last message.

_"Quantum Gateway Successfully Opened."_

* * *

Roku, Stekvan, and Chase sat within a private meeting room in the Tetradon research facility. The walls and floor were white, and they were sitting at a long ornate table, with far more chairs than necessary for a meeting between three captains and one scientist. All of them sat a good distance apart, silently contemplating what to do.

Chase was the one to speak up.

"So... we give up? Is that it?"

"No," Stekvan said simply.

"It's not like staying here is any better than going back to Epsilon," Roku said, not even turning his head to face the human, "If Yagoda is right, then everything is in danger. Nowhere is safe."

"So, we keep fighting?.." Chase tried to say, "But how?"

Anson reposition himself so that he could look at all of the other occupants of the meeting room.

"They have to come here at some point," Anson said, drawing the attention of the other three, "The Ark of Infinity is in this universe. At some point, this 'Grand Master' will arrive with his armies. We will be ready to stop him."

"Not to be a pessimist sir," Roku said, looking at Anson, "But we've seen his army. What he's been doing - literally this entire time - is building up an unstoppable force. The Grox are re-united. When he finally comes here... I doubt there will be anything that can prevent him from achieving his goal. We have to stop him before that moment can come."

"_Yes... yes you do,_" said a familiar feminine voice.

Yagoda's form had materialized in one of the empty seats closest to Roku, much to the surprise of everyone else in the meeting room. The ascended deity still possessed her creepy, one-eyed, purple, flowing-hair-without-wind features.

"Let me guess," Roku said, trying not to look at the deity, "You're using my psionic disposition to anchor your projection here... _again_."

"_Smart birdy. Yes, I am a projection. But I have some stuff to say, and I think I deserve to be part of this meeting anyway. Hey... that rhymed."_

"Yes it did," Anson said, a little less angry than the last time he had spoken to this deity, "What do you have to say?"

"Nothing... just that you _might_ not need to be as glum as you currently are."

"What?" Stekvan said, a little surprised by the comment.

"Well its just that... I can sense it when large amounts of energy are hurtling towards this universe... and I can tell you _right now_... that you guys should probably have a little bit more faith in your friends."

Yagoda smiled as if someone had just told a joke.

"Faith in our friends... what are you talking about?"

"I can't tell you how. But _someone_ has reactivated the Quantum Gateway on Thar."

"Really?" Anson said, "If that had happened we would..."

Appropriately enough, Anson was interrupted by a loud male computerized voice.

_All personnel report to positions. Quantum Gateway accessing Tetradon Receiver. Repeat: All personnel report to positions. Quantum Gateway accessing Tetradon receiver. _

Roku, Stekvan, and Chase's heads immediately popped up in surprise and interest. This was _not_ what they expected to happen.

"You have got to be kidding..." Anson began to say.

"Enough sitting here and looking stunned," Yagoda shouted, "This is your one opportunity to get back into Epsilon and join the fight! Do something about it!"

Anson quickly stood up, pushing his chair aside.

"Follow me," he said, turning on the spot and rushing out of the meeting room. The three captains followed behind without hesitation. Much to the dismay of Roku, the hovering form of Yagoda also trailed behind them, holding on to her projection as she watched the events unfold.

The group came running out into one of the facilities main passageways, having to run past a bunch of other surprised looking scientists, who all seemed to be scurrying about to reach some location. Some of the scientists turned their head in confusion when they saw Yagoda drifting along behind Roku, but the group continued to move without falter.

After a few seconds of running, Anson shouted out to a nearby male scientist, "Kevin! Drop whatever you're doing and go grab the Gateway Authenticator, as well as the one its attuned to, and meet me at the Main Gateway Arch."

Kevin looked a bit surprised at first, but quickly re-gathered his composure and responded, "Got it, Anson. I'll see you there." The scientist scurried off down another hallway, along with another group of fast-walking humans.

"Here we are," Anson said, stepping close to an inlet in the wall. Within the small enclave was a holographic panel and a clear metallic circle on the top and bottom of the opening. The captains recognized it immediately as a static-to-static teleport pad.

Anson stepped onto the pad, making room for the other captains to pile into the enclave as well. After everyone was situated, Ansons pressed a button on the holographic panel, and they disappeared in a flash of kronon energy.

A predictable whirl of color later they stepped out of another enclave.

But now... their location surprised them.

They were standing on a platform _outside_ of the station. Some form of shielding had to be in place... or else they would have been swept up in the huge amount of exotic energy swirling around Pandora's Rift. The platform was large, spanning at least 50 yards along the curving edge of the facility. It had a partially elliptical shape, minus the part that would otherwise have been hidden inside the facility. The wall around the teleporter was a solid pane of glass looking back inside, along with a normal iris door. The platform was gray in color, and had multiple glowing lines of light outlining the edges, as well as pillars placed at intervals. These pillars seemed to extend downards and curve back, supporting the entire external platform and attaching it to the station.

Anson continued moving, and the captains followed. They approached a long walkway extending out of the apex of the platform's curve. It was at least 15 feet in width, and 30 feet long. When they drew nearer, they saw that, at the end of the walkway, was a large mechanical ring - hovering _around_ the walkway. This ring was twice the height of Roku, almost black in color, and possessed a small amount of wiring and energy conduits. Apart from that... it was monolithic in form. It appeared as one structure... one undisturbed form. It hovered by its own anti-gravity systems, slowly rotating, and staying slightly above perfectly even with the platform. The bottom portion of the rotating ring was noticeably closer to the walkway than the top was.

Past the ring... the walkway almost abruptly ended. Something else caught Roku's eyes, however.

Directly through this mysterious ring was a clear view of Pandora's Rift. This ring... whatever it was... was lined up perfectly with the Rift. Even as the entire station orbited the rift, this walkway seemed to always point directly at Tetradon's space-time wound.

"This is our... well... this is our interdimensional cannon... so to speak. It is the device that will send you back to Epsilon once the Gateway is fully established."

"But wait... what about that room we arrived in? What was that for?" Chase asked, somewhat confused.

"That was the receiving bay... for catching the initial travelers. This device will be what sends you back... and now that we've established a full two-way connection... this should be what we use for transport in either direction."

"Have you ever used it before?"

"Well yeah... to send the Tesseract into your universe."

"But... wait, wait, wait. The Tesseract arrived 300 billion years early... and barely anywhere near the right planet," Chase said, worry noticeable in his tone, "How can we know it'll get us where we're supposed to go?"

"That's the whole point," Anson said, fiddling with a nearby control panel situated in one of the columns, "Remember? We needed to establish the Quantum Gateway _so that_ we could have accuracy in sending things between universes... and so that we could safely send things bigger than Tesseract itself... without widening the rift already present."

"Oh yeah... that's right."

Anson pressed a few more buttons on the panel, before finally pulling down on a large yellow lever. The ring began to spin... faster and faster. The monolithic form of the inter-dimensional launcher began to rotate so fast that it formed a single ring-shaped blur around the edge of the walkway. The captains took a few steps back thanks to an instinctive need for safety.

"But what about that virus? Is it still there?" Chase continued to ask.

"No, it's been removed, and extensive tests have already been run on the gateway's systems. It doesn't matter anyway, since we're now using a full two-way connection. The three of you can't arrive anywhere _but_ the receiving gateway."

Anson turned away from the panel to observe the dimension cannon.

Through the ring, they could see Pandora's Rift beginning to glow. A white light was emanating from the previously void-like tear in space-time.

"It's true..." Anson stated, looking at the rift in awe, "Someone really has activated the Gateway from the other side. I thought you said the 'Grox' had control of the Tesseract. Yagoda... how is it that we can be sure it isn't the Grand Master trying to pass through."

"_One... it's too soon for that. And two... if he were, along with his army, was to come through, you're scanners would pick it up... for sure."_

"We'll then who's activating the gateway?"

"I have some ideas," Roku said, smiling.

The dimension cannon... the strange rotating ring... began to emanate a glowing light of its own. It all blurred together... and a vortex of energy began to appear in the middle. Like a whirlpool, the energy began to pull backwards, glowing and rotating as it did so. It pulled back so far that it created a long hollow column of spinning white light going back a good 20 feet from the ring itself.

Then... there was an explosion of energy. Just like when the Main Control Tower had sent them here, the dimension canon released a large elliptical explosion of bright shining light, extending perpendicular to the walkway in all directions, before fading into the distance. After that subsided, and the captains could look back and see a single long cylinder of energy protruding from the back of the monolithic ring. The cylinder that ran far into the distance whilst slowly fading away in a gradient.

The rotating ring was making a loud noise akin to the propellor of a helicopter, and the energy vortex trailing behind it emitted loud sparking noises as it violently rotated and shifted.

"What now?" Roku shouted over the noise.

"You step through it."

Roku looked back at the vortex behind the ring... which didn't look safe in any sense of the word..

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Um... okay..." Roku said, looking towards the portal like it was a death sentence. He trusted Anson and his knowledge of inter-dimensional physics... he had brought them here safely after all... but this just looked terrifying.

"_You've got guests, Anson,_" Yagoda said. The teleporter behind them had just reactivated, and two more humans stepped out of it. One was the scientist Anson had shouted at while they were running here, and the other was Anson's daughter, Cathy. Anson pressed a button on the panel nearby, and a thin sound-proof spherical shield materialized around them. It was now substantially easier to speak and be heard.

"Fantastic," Anson said, turning to face them, "Just in time. You have the Authenticator, I'm assuming?"

"I do," Kevin said, pulling out a thin, black, and metallic necklace. The chain was dark and polished, with a distinctive shine. At the end of it was a small circular object, nearly flat and about the width of a locket. Circuitry was visible on the surface of the device, and it seemed to pulsate a yellowish color.

Kevin handed the device to Anson, who examined it closely.

"What is that?" Roku asked.

"It's a little back-up plan we put together. It's called a 'Gateway Authenticator,'" Anson explained, still looking at the device, "I was going to explain it to you earlier, if we ever learned it was possible to send you back to your universe before this situation... you know... presented itself."

"And what does it do?"

"Basically... we don't want the Grand Master to make it to this universe... right?"

"Right..." Roku said, encouraging a continuing explanation.

"This is our emergency line of security... that I never thought we'd have to use. I am sending this, along with Cathy, back with you."

"Wait... what?"

"This device, the 'Gateway Authenticator' is tuned to Cathy's brainwaves. Our receiving gateway will only fully open and allow passage back to Tetradon _if and only if_ Cathy herself is present and holding the Authenticator. But it's more than that... Cathy must adamantly desire to go to the Tetradon universe. The Authentictor is so tuned to her brainwaves, that nobody can force her to activate it. _She _has to do it on her own. Not even a parasitic consciousness could hope to force the gateway to open."

"So you're saying... that even if the Grand Master took Cathy hostage and tried to force her to use the authenticator to allow passage into Tetradon... it still wouldn't work?"

"Yes," Anson responded, "Nobody but my daughter can use the authenticator to re-open the quantum gateway."

"That's brilliant..." Roku said.

"But not perfect..." Stekvan said, obviously thinking about something, "The Grand Master surely has more tricks up his sleeve. We can't simply pass this off as a brilliant plan. But yes... it will absolutely delay him."

Anson handed the necklace shaped device over to his daughter, who placed it around her neck and dropped the end of it beneath the shirt under her lab coat.

"So wait... Cathy's coming with us?" Chase asked, looking towards Anson in interest.

"Yes, I am," Cathy responded. Chase turned to face Cathy, who was smiling a little. "Is that a problem or something?"

"Oh... no... not at all... absolutely not," Chase stuttered, trying to figure out what to say, "It's just that... the Grand Master will be after you like a hawk."

"Not initially," Cathy said, "He won't know exactly what my purpose is. But yes... he'll probably be after me at some point"

"And when that happens," Roku said, "We'll make sure you're safe."

"Absolutely," Chase added.

"Enough dawdling," Stekvan said, "We really do need to go now. We have no idea how long this gateway is going to stay open from the other side."

"_Excellent point,_" Yagoda's projection stated, "_You all need to go now... that is of course assuming you actually want to return to your universe._"

Everyone turned back around to face the dimension cannon at the end of the walkway. It was still shifting and spinning.

"I'll be on my way," Kevin said, walking out of the sound-proof shield and towards the teleporter.

"Very well," Anson responded, before pressing another button on the panel next to him. The sound-proof shield vanished and the loud noise of the whirring vortex of energy returned.

"Okay... who's first?" Roku asked, looking at what they needed to pass through with the same look of unsurety as he had before.

"Anything we need to know?" Stekvan asked.

"Just step through the rings. It'll feel just like it did when you came here," Anson stated, "You can't hesitate though... you just have to walk through the ring without turning back."

Chase was jumping up and down in anxiety, doing a couple of pointless stretches.

"Okay... you got this Chase... you got this!" he said to himself.

Chase, in a an attempt to not allow any of himself to back down, began to sprint towards the dimension cannon.

"Geronimo!" he screamed right before diving into the center of the spinning ring.

Instantly his body was surrounded by a morphing field of blue energy. A second after that, his entire body was glowing. A second after that and he was blazing away faster than anything that could normally be accomplished. Chase's body seemed to change into a single streak of bright blue energy, hurtling through the cylinder of light and towards Pandora's Rift. The form of energy vanished as it passed _into _the Rift.

Anson let out a small chuckle.

"Next?" he asked comically.

Cathy stepped forward next. "Might as well get this over with," she said.

The human walked forwards at a brisk pace. Each step down the space station's external walkway seemed like an eternity. In reality, it was only moments later that Cathy was standing just in front of the spinning dimension cannon.

"Here goes," she said.

Cathy took one more step forward, and, like the human before her, her entire body vaporized into energy and shot directly towards - and into - Pandora's Rift.

"I'll go now," Stekvan said, stepping forwards.

The Jaxxod took a deep breath... and then began to walk forwards.

The moment he passed through the ring, Stekvan's body blazed away in a streak of blue energy just like everyone before him.

Before Roku could speak a word about how amazed he was, Stekvan's energy disappeared into the now glowing Rift.

Anson let out a small chuckle.

"Looks like you're the last one," Anson said, "Good luck to you and godspeed."

"Thank you, Professor Anson," Roku responded, "I will make sure that the Grand Master is brought down. You have my word - Tetradon will one day be safe."

"_Wait._"

Yagoda's projection was speaking again.

"What?"

"_I sense something coming this way through the gateway_."

"Excuse me?"

"_Something small is passing back through the portal and into this universe. Wait... ah! There it is!_"

A small cube came flying out of the dimension cannon, clattering across the metallic platform before sliding to a halt.

"What in the..." Anson said, surprised.

Roku moved towards the cube and picked it up. He recognized the design. It was a New Tharian information cube... designed to store data and pass it between computer systems. Why in the world was it sent through the portal?

Roku pressed down on its surface, and a holographic video immediately phased into visibility above the cube. On the display was... _him._ Roku saw himself on a video he never remembered recording.

_"Hello. My name is Roku Azero... and if everything has gone as planned... so is yours. Know this and only this: You cannot step back through the portal right away. Your mission is elsewhere. If I am speaking to myself... then you're mission is to complete the paradox that I... you... have already set out to create."_

* * *

"I think it's working!" Harko shouted with excitement.

"You _think_?" Maruck exclaimed.

"Hey! I just plugged that device into the panel and the whole thing started glowing. Now, it's glowing brighter. What was I supposed to think?"

Maruck didn't respond, he just continued to stare at the massive column of light extending into the sky.

Within that very moment, a streak of blue light shot down through geiser-like column of energy, disturbing it as it did so. It impacted the surface of level 500 with a distinct expansion of blue light, causing the explosive energy to temporarily bulge outwards.

After a few more seconds of anxious waiting... a form stepped out of the bright column of light and towards the other three.

It was _Chase_.

"Chase! It's you! You're alive!" Maruck exclaimed in excitement, running forwards and embracing the human in a tight hug.

"So it was you guys that opened the gateway! Fantastic!" Chase shouted in response, trying to pry the scorpnak off of him, "But we might need to move out of the way... others are coming through."

"Ah... yeah" Maruck said, letting go of Chase and stepping back to where he was before.

On queue, another streak of blue light blasted down through the column, causing the same disturbance as the previous one. Seconds later, to the surprise of most of the people on level 500, another human stepped out of the Quantum Gateway. She was about the same age as Chase, had fare skin and long brown hair. She was wearing a long white lab coat that was tied around her waist. She smiled as she stepped all the way out of the energy column and towards the form of the other four.

"I see that it worked," Cathy said.

"I'm actually kinda' curious about something..." Chase asked, "You're from a four dimensional universe... how are you here in a three dimensional one?"

"The same way you were in Tetradon," Cathy responded simply, "But the other way around. While I'm here in Epsilon, I become three dimensional and my memory of a fourth dimensional axis is suppressed... and so, like you, I cannot visualize the existence of a fourth dimension. Once I go back to Tetradon, it flips the other way. Brilliant right?"

"That is..." Chase responded.

In the middle of their conversation, a third streak of blue light passed through and impacted level 500. Stekvan was the next form to step out of the Quantum Gateway. He walked out of the column of light without hesitation.

"Well that was interesting," the Jaxxod said, stepping towards the other five figures.

Something sparked in Harko's mind.

_Wait for Stekvan, throw this cube through the Quantum Gateway._

It needed to be done. Harko broke away from the group and ran towards the holographic control panel. The tharian grabbed the information cube, forcing it out of its socke.

"I hope this works..." Harko said, holding the information cube in his right hand. With all his might, he threw the cube directly into the geyser-like column of white light, watching as it vanished into the quantum gateway. It morphed into a streak of blue energy and blasted into the sky, far away from them.

"Why'd you do that?" Chase asked, confused.

"Honestly..." Harko said, turning back around, "I have no idea."

The six figures standing on level 500 of the Main Control Tower looked at each other in silence for a few moments. And then... it was abruptly broken.

A single hovering spacecraft was ascending to be level with their position.

It was an alpha-class Grox raider vessel, about half the size of the Main Control Tower's top story. Besides that, it seemed to have been re-purposed to have a much larger cockpit capable of completely opening up. This created an area where multiple people could easily stand up and walk around.

Within that open cockpit was two Grox... both sitting at separate piloting stations.

But between them... standing on a raised section of the ships platform... was the _Grand Master. _The aura around him was as dark as ever.

Everyone on level 500 took a step back in shock.

Harko was immediately reminded of what Roku had told then back on Kimplemvora...

_"When everything goes wrong..."_

"I see you've made your way to the Tesseract... and took the liberty of reactivating the gateway. Bravo." the corrupted Amahani said with his ridiculously dark and cold tone, "But let's be serious for a moment. How foolish do you have to be... to think that I would only assign _one_ pathetic Dronox squadron to guard the most prized artifact in my plan? We were watching the entire time."

"Then _why_ on Thar would you let these three come back through the gateway?" Harko shouted at the Grand Master in frustration, guesturing towards Chase, Cathy, and Stekvan.

"Why? Simple. I sent the captaisn to Tetradon as a means of testing the gateway's capabilities. Regardless of whether or not they died in the process... it was a _win win _situation. _Now_ we know that the gateway works in both directions. Thank you for participating in our experiment. Now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way... you're all in for a big surprise."

"What?" Stekvan exclaimed.

"The Main Control Tower," the Grand Master stated, "Is destabilizing... thanks to the somewhat clumsy actions of your fellow Alliance members. It was the perfect opportunity to end this pointless battle and move on with our stratagem... leaving the Alliance devastated and almost completely obliterated. How?... you might ask? Well... that Tesseract behind you... it amplifies energy doesn't it? Remember that time when I used it to destroy Roku's staff of life?"

"Oh dear Spode..." Maruck muttered, realizing what the Amahani was about to say.

The Grand Master laughed.

"Oh yes... just as soon as the Alliance began, it shall _end._ When the Quantum Core completely destabilizes... all of that energy will go funneling into the Tesseract. And when it does... oh my... what an explosion that will be..."

"That's no..." Harko said, trying to grasp the situation, "Normally the emergency protection shields would direct a destabalized collapse of the Core away from the planet... but from everything I understand about the Tesseract's amplification of energy. That... no... you can't!"

"But I can. When this tower fully destabilizes, the resulting explosion of dark energy will engulf this _entire star system_. All of Pyles will be consumed within minutes of the core's collapse."

"But the Tesseract itself," Stekvan questioned, "How will you..."

"Find it? Simple. We won't have to. The Tesseract will find us. My Grox scientists have managed to reverse engineere the method by which the Tesseract locks on to home worlds... meaning that now... we can fake a home world's energy signature. After this star system is obliterated, the nearly indestructible Tesseract will find its way through the wreckage and to _us_... no harm, no foul."

"No..." Chase said.

Cathy could only watch the situation in horror, in disbelief of the horrible atrocity that the object she had worked to create was being used to do.

"Goodbye to you all..." the Grand Master said, a dark smile crossing his lips.

* * *

"_You have a choice, Roku,_" Yagoda said, her projection hovering next to the tharian as he examined the information cube, "_You can go back to Epsilon... and risk whatever is waiting for you on the other side... or you can do whatever this cube wants you to."_

"You don't need to listen to her, Roku," Anson said, "You know who she is and what she's done."

There was a small holographic button currently being projected a few inches above the cube. It read "Accept Mission."

Roku didn't know what to make of the recording of himself. It didn't make any sense. But as he thought harder... he realized that similar things had been occurring.

There was the first message from himself making sure that he was fearless when moments away from what seemed like incineration.

Then there was message sent to Stekvan making sure that he gave Roku the Electro-Magnetic Pulse Emitter for climbing up the many stories of the Main Control Tower.

Something strange had been happening this entire time.

Roku never remembered doing any of that. And _all _of those events required foreknowledge of events that had yet to happen.

Was time travel possible? Was Roku destined to give himself these messages?

No... of course not. But then, in the midst of his doubt... it hit him.

Time travel _was_ possible. The Tesseract was testament to that.

He now realized what the message meant.

_You're mission is elsewhere... You need to Complete the Paradox._

Roku opened his mouth in awe. He knew what needed to be done.

He pressed the 'Accept Mission' button. Another hologram video of Roku materialized.

_"Here is your mission, Roku. Allow Yagoda to place a part of her consciousness within you. I know you're probably thinking... What? Why? But just hear me out. She can be trusted - do not worry. And she, as an ascended deity, will give you the accuracy necessary to travel to the right time-space coordinates. You're mission is to go to the past... to travel to Pangeara, homeworld of the Artlen race, 30000 years before the fall of Thar. Once there, find Veara... she will not be corrupted. Find her, and plant a tiny portion of Yagoda's consciousness into her as well. I need not explain any further... as by this point Yagoda will know what to do, and will be eager to explain the rest. I know you will complete this... otherwise I would not be here giving you these instructions."_

The video vanished.

Roku turned to face Yagoda, who looked just as shocked as he did.

"Anson..." Roku said, "In the same way the Tesseract was off its destination in Epsilon's timestream... can that be _intentionally_ done to a normal passenger?"

"Um..." Anson thought for a moment. "Yes... but it's dangerous... extremely dangerous."

"_Only because you didn't have me."_

Roku and Anson turned to face the deities projection.

"It's not just that," Anson spoke up, "The Tesseract had a small enough amount of mass to _not_ widen Pandora's Rift any more than it already had been. If you're sending a person to a different point in the time-stream... you're essentially disregarding the fact that the gateway was ever re-opened from the other side. Once again, the entire point of establishing a two-way connection between our universes was so that we didn't have to launch things willy-nilly between existences... _hoping_ they would show up at the right place." Without a receiving gateway... there's a huge chance that he would die in the process."

"_No he wouldn't,_" Yagoda said, "_It's not that simple. Yes, the gateway needs to be fully open in both the sending and receiving locations for safe travel... but now you have my capabilities. If a portion of me is inside of Roku... then I could control our destination in the universes time-stream."_

"You mean..." Anson said, trying to grasp what Yagoda was saying, "That once you passed through Pandora's Rift... initially using the gateway as a means of passage... you could alter his destination? How...?"

"_Simple. I'm an ascended deity who understands - way better than anyone else here - the way that inter-dimensional travel operates."_

Anson didn't respond to that comment.

Roku looked over at the deity's projection.

"So... you're telling me that I have to trust you to let a piece of your consciousness into my mind..." Roku said, contemplating what was happening, "So that you can create a dangerous alteration to my passage back into Epsilon?"

"_Um... yeah. That' sounds about right._"

"And you actually expect me to trust you?"

"_I don't expect you to trust me. I expect you to trust yourself... the person who gave you that message. It's triple-encrypted with your signature. That message... came from you."_

Roku looked back down at the information cube.

"Don't do this Roku," Anson said, a little worried, "You shouldn't trust any of what Yagoda says."

"No... I shouldn't. She is a corrupt self-obsessed ascended deity. She uses people like puppets to get what she wants. I just want to know one more thing... this piece of your consciousness that I'm supposed to put in Veara's mind... What is the purpose of it?"

"_If a piece of my psionic energy is buried deep enough in Veara's subconscious... before she is ever captured by the Grox or taken over by Narahgeenah... it can stay there undetected... slowly growing in strength. Thirty thousands years later, back in the present, we'd be able to use it as a means of bringing down Narahgeenah from the inside. The purpose of this mission... is to free Veara from the slavery of Agriath."_

"Is this really possible, Yagoda? Can it _actually_ be done?"

_"I know it can, Roku."_

"And how will I get back to the present... once I'm thirty thousand years in the past?"

_"We can find a cryogenic chamber. It's not terribly complicated. That's the least of our worries... as the most difficult part is getting to the past in the first place."_

Roku thought for a moment.

"But why? Why would I want to save Veara? Why would I place my life in your hands... trust you completely... so that I could 'save' one of my greatest enemies? Why shouuldn't I just ignore you, and go back through the gateway to join the rest of my comrades."

"_She is not your enemy, Roku. The darkness of Agriath is. Veara is trapped. The true Veara screams at the dark waiting to be released... hidden away in a prison of her own body. Narahgeenah has such a strong grip on the dark part of her soul... that the only way to rid her of it is to kill her. Well... that would be true if you were stuck in the present. You have an opportunity Roku. You can use the gateway to travel to the past... You can plant a seed in her mind that will grow over thousands of years... that we can actually use to save Veara! Imagine what an asset she would be in the cause of taking down the Grox. She knows everything about how they operate... about their motives... about their strategies. Roku, she knows the location of Xorgo."_

Roku looked up at the sound of that.

Xorgo, the mysterious initial homeworld of the Grox, was hidden behind an unbelievable number of wave benders and frequency blockers. Only those serving the Grox and of high rank knew of its location. The Grox used their technology to move it around... so not even Yagoda currently knew where it resided. That was where the Grand Master had set up base... and that was where he would likely attempt to bring his armies through to Tetradon.

This wasn't Roku saving an enemy... this was Roku saving an ally. This was something that needed to happen.

"I'll do it," Roku said.

"You what?" Anson stated, shocked.

_"In order for my consciousness to pass into you... these humans will need to lower the psionic dampeners on my prison by 10%."_

"10 percent! Are you kidding me?" Anson shouted.

Roku ignored his complaints.

"Do it," Roku stated, "Trust me Anson."

"Trust you? An alien that randomly appeared in our universe with nothing to do with our original plan? Trust you? Seriously?"

"Yes," Roku replied, looking directly at Anson, "Trust me. I am doing this _only_ to stop Agriath. If Yagoda does anything other than what she says she will, raise the psionic dampeners back up. Realistically, wouldn't a decrease by10% is only be for her surface consciousness to be released? All of her powers will still be trapped in the prison... am I correct?"

Anson nodded. "Alight then... but if this goes wrong... its on you."

The scientist pressed down on a button on his lab-coat collar. There was a small radio-communicator located there.

"Would one of the guards near the Psionic Prison lower the dampeners by 10%?"

_"Excuse me sir?" _someone said through the speaker.

"Do as I say. It is necessary."

_"If you say so..."_

There was a moment of tense silence... interrupted only by the continuing whir of the gateway behind them. Then...

"_Oh... that feels much better..._" Yagoda commented, smiling.

Her projected form was become less translucent, and the energy around her was growing brighter.

"I have put my trust in you Yagoda. Now, you better hold up your end of this deal."

_"I will."_

Before Roku could respond, Yagoda's projected form moved forwards... and passed _into _Roku. The tharian spun around to see if it had passed through him like a ghost, but she wasn't there. The deity had disappeared inside Roku's body.

There was a sharp pain inside of Roku's head. The world was spinning. The ground was shaking. His eyes went black. He couldn't hear... or smell... or feel...

And then...

**SLAM.**

He was back in reality... shaking but still standing.

"Are you okay?" Anson said, holding Roku up.

"I... I'm fine," the tharian responded, "I think..."

_"Oh... this is different."_

"What is?" Roku asked.

"What is what?" Anson responded, "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you just hear Yagoda talk?"

"Uh... no. Not at all."

_"He can't hear me Roku. I'm inside of your mind only. We share the same body now."_

"And you can control me?"

_"No this isn't like what I did to Amy at all. Only my surface consciousness is present within your mind - nothing else. I can feel, see, hear, smell, touch, and taste everything you do... but I can't move any part of your body unless you fully allow me to do so."_

"Is this _actually_ the truth?"

"_Yes, it actually is. Oh and by the way, you're capable of communicating with me using your own telepathic ability... Anson looks like he thinks you're going crazy talking to yourself."_

_ "Like this?"_

_ "Exactly."_

"What are you doing, Roku?"

"Sorry. I just had to figure something out. Now if you'll excuse me... I have a quantum gateway to step through."

Roku began to walk towards the spinning blur of the dimension cannon.

"Wait Roku!" Anson shouted, "Are you sure about this?"

Roku looked back and smiled.

"Of course not."

The tharian then ran forwards, and right before he was about to pass through the spinning monolithic ring, he jumped, tucking in his wings, and doing a forwards dive into the vortex of energy..

Roku felt as his body was enveloped in a protective bubble of particles, and his entire being was converted from matter into hyper-dimensional energy.

He was now moving faster and faster. He didn't even have time to look back. Seconds after he stepped through the gateway... he had passed through Pandora's Rift.

The chaotic vortex of color once again surrounded him on all sides.

_"This better work,"_ Roku thought towards Yagoda.

_"Don't worry. It will."_


	37. Into Perspective

_VeeVeeNightingale helped me write this chapter, as it includes details of the Artlen race and their home planet_**.**

* * *

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

37: Into Perspective

* * *

The time stream was warping, the world around him was collapsing. Vision? Yeah, that was a thing of the past. The world was nothing but chaos.

Now... Roku had experienced this before... but not while being guided by another deity of extraordinary power. It felt as if his body was being pulled this time... forced to move in certain directions. Not that he could see these directions, oh no, it was just random twists and turns through a swirling vortex of energy and color.

Out of the chaos, came sudden order. The discourse of the inter-dimensional portal seemingly evaporated. He was now within Epsilon... but traveling faster than anything natural. He could see galaxies blazing past him in the millions, all melting together in one indiscernible blur. His path focused on one of these galaxies... Aeron. He knew that galaxy all too well.

He's currently massless form streaked into one of the galaxies arms, moving further and further towards his destination. The edges of Aeron disappeared into the horizon. The stars became visible specs instead of one gigantic galactic cloud.

And before he knew it... he was focusing in on one star system... Sellica. Roku's form went flying past the edge of the burning star, focusing in on one of the orbiting planets. The spherical rock became all that was in Roku's field of view... and before he knew it... he was blazing through the atmosphere. To his slight horror, Roku could feel his body beginning to regain mass.

"_Um... Yagoda..." _Roku said, speaking the the second consciousness in his mind, _"I was under the impression that I wouldn't actually be crashing into anything."_

"_Oh... um... you were? Well... I might have left a tensy bit if information out."_

"_And that is?"_

"_There isn't really a receiving gateway over here yet. Were being launched into this universe the same way the Tesseract was. The only way we have an exact destination is thanks to me."_

"_But that means..."_

"_Oh... don't worry. I obviously don't want you dead. A field of solid kronon energy surrounds us... that should take out a good amount of the impact normal force... but... um... yeah... its still gonna hurt... a lot."_

"_You're kidding me."_

"_Yeah um... no I'm not."_

By all means, Roku was pretty angry that the deity, but there wasn't much that could be done now.

Roku blazed into the lower atmosphere, and before he could say another word.

**WHAM.**

An absolutely ridiculous amount of g-force was placed on Roku's body. The shield did its fair job of protecting him, but it quickly dissipated as well. A incredibly large amount dirt was blasted away from the initial crater of Roku's impact... but that wasn't the end of it.

Roku continued to slide, breaking through more of the ground with his remaining momentum... given that he had come in at an angle.

Kronon energy... Dust... Trees... Rolling... No Orientation... Absolute Randomness...

After what seemed like forever, the world settled back to normal.

Roku couldn't move... his body simply wouldn't respond.

In all his life... Roku had never suffered a fall that bad.

Well, technically... it wasn't a fall as much of being shot into a planet out of an inter-dimensional portal like a cannon ball... but that didn't really help Roku in his current condition.

Roku couldn't retain consciousness anymore. He closed his eyes, and the world immediately went black.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Life signs stabilizing. Normal rotary functions showing potential. Heart rate normal. He's... oh my word... I think he's waking up."

Roku slowly broke his eyelids apart, closing them shortly after as an unexpectedly large amount of light flooded into his retinas. He tried again, this time even slower. The world around him was at first a blur, light melding together into a single mess of color, but after a few seconds, the room around him came into focus. His eyes were now fully open.

"Wow... he's actually awake."

"Can you hear us? If you can blink twice."

Roku complied.

"Excellent. Can you speak in any way, shape, or form?"

The tharian took a breath, and then attempted to speak. His voice was a bit raspy, but there none the less.

"Yeah... I'm pretty sure I can talk."

"Fantastic. How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three."

"Okay... that finishes basic function checks. Over to you Dalka."

Roku turned his head a little to the left to see the two artlens. They had been the ones speaking to him. The one apparently named 'Dalka' was a female with a light blue coat. The other was looking at a rather complicated set of statistics on a computer monitor. He was male and had a greenish colored coat with purple markings. Roku was somewhat surprised... as the only artlen he had ever had any extensive meetings with was Veara... and she wasn't really an accurate representation of the species as a whole.

Like Veara, both Dalka and the other doctor had a feline-like face with long ears, and relatively slender bodies. They both had the same natural clothing in the form of feathered skirts that started at their waists and extended just to where their knees were. They had the same retractable claws and tendency to stand on the balls of their feet. Both doctors had distinct markings spanning across nearly their entire bodies, usually in a darker shade of whatever the predominant color of their fur was. Three spikes extended approximately 4 feet in length from the backs of both artlens, although the doctor at the computer monitor currently had them somehow bent downwards.

"Subject seems to have regained full functionality. Can you tell us, what is your name?" Dalka asked.

Roku had to think. He couldn't just say his name. Right now, he was a time-traveler. He could not risk giving foreknowledge to anyone here.

"My name is Arcadia," Roku lied, having randomly selected one of his comrades names as fast as he could.

"_Wow... good work Roku," _Yagoda said in his mind.

"Great, glad to see that your memory is intact. Can you give us any details of what happened?"

Now Roku was stumped... he had no idea how much the doctors actually knew about how he had arrived. It was next to impossible to know how much of a lie the doctors would actually believe.

Then it hit him: the obvious and simple solution to the problem.

"No... no not really. I remember falling... and lots of pain. That's it."

The perfect bluff.

"Anything else?"

"_Yagoda please tell me you have some other sort of cover."_

"_I do. Give me control of your voice for a second."_

"_Fine!"_

"I know that I was on an exploration mission for the Tyro Empire," Yagoda said through Roku, "The last thing I remember was entering the Sellica system."

"Wow... well okay. Is the Tyro Empire composed of your species? Because... we've never seen a creature anything like you before."

"Yes... they're on the far side of the galaxy," Yagoda continued, "This was an exploration mission, like I said. If you're a level 7 empire, then you probably don't get much contact with empires that far away."

"No we don't. Anyway, the results from your medical scan are back in," Dalka explained, pulling up a small touch screen device, "From everything we understand you should heal normally. We don't fully understand your biology... so we can't guarantee anything. But... we're fairly confident you should recover soon. Most of the injuries are just broken bones, nothing a good mitosis accelerator can't fix."

Roku looked down to see that he was laying in a typical hospital bed, with the covers placed over him. To complete the image, he was wearing a white colored hospital gown, with some obvious openings made in the back to accommodate for his wings.

Eerily similar to when he awoke back on Tidus with his alminar ability, a fair amount of bandages were wrapped around where both of his wings connected to his back. He also discovered a similar set of bandages wrapped around the top of his right arm. The bandages were in the form of long white strips of cloth that, thanks to artificial density manipulators, kept Roku's bones in the correct position without taking on the annoyance of full cast.

"_Those joints are always the first to go..." _Roku muttered in his own mind.

Something then occurred to him.

"_Wait... Yagoda... Can you hear all of my thoughts?"_

"_No. You're a psionic too. I only hear what you want me to hear. If it worked the other way, then you'd be able to hear everything I thought as well... and that would just be chaotic."_

"_Fair point."_

"Anyhow," Dalka said, "Since you're awake, and obviously somewhat healthy, we'd like you to meet the one who actually saved your life."

"Huh?"

"She said she found you in horrible condition just outside of Ferndanth, in the western fields. We were a bit surprised when she brought you to us. Nevertheless, here you are now. She requested that she speak to you in private... so um... Kel."

"Yeah?" the other artlen doctor answered.

"Could you open the door?"

"Right away."

With a click of a button on the screen, the automatic door to the hospital room slid open. Dalka and Kel exited through it.

"We'll be back momentarily to run a few more tests," she said before disappearing behind one of the walls.

Roku took the short opportunity to look around the room. The walls were the normal shade of white, with a plentiful amount of gadgets hanging on different hooks or placed on different shelves. Everything you would expect - cabinets, a sink, and a recording computer - were all there.

Then... a figure walked in through the door.

Roku's eyes became wide.

"_Oh... didn't see that coming..." _ Yagoda said, _"Well... actually I did... but that's besides the point."_

It was, of _all_ people, _Veara._

The red-colored Artlen stepped through the doorway... with something very different about her.

She had no cybernetics. She had no looks of absolute disgust plastered on her face. She was... She was... normal. She had a red coat, darker red markings, and an expression that showed _happiness_. Looking at her eyes, he saw that the iris was a defined pink color... something that shocked Roku. This was unbelievable.

Roku had seen her like this once before, in Stekvan's memories. But this was different. Now... he was feet away from the true Veara. There was no corruption within her. This was _Veara_.

She took few steps into the room and began to speak.

"I'm quite glad to see you're awake now," she said, smiling softly. There was no rage or hate in her voice. "You've been out for quite a while... I was beginning to worry about you. Worried that I might have been too late. How are you feeling? Are the doctors treating you all right?"

This was just... too much. Roku was absolutely blown away. Not only was Veara normal... she was actually _nice_. What in the name of sanity was going on?

"_Your reaction was anticipated," _ Yagoda said, _"Seriously though. We're here on a mission."_

"_Yes. I remember."_

"Yes, Yes I'm fine," Roku said, "How did you find me?"

"Well," Veara's ears turned towards the doors and she lowered her voice slightly, "That's why I wanted to talk to you alone. I... Well, saw you falling from the sky and crash land... rather violently I might add. I didn't... well... I didn't tell anyone about this because they might've thought you were a threat of some kind. Can you explain to me how... and why... you fell? Maybe even where you came from?"

"_She knows that you're more than just an alien. She saw you fall out of the sky and crash into the ground. She's also not stupid," _Yagoda said.

"_Trust me... I know that. Let me guess... did you purposely direct our landing spot so that it would be near Veara?"_

"_Oh no! I would do no such thing!" _Yagoda exclaimed, the sarcasm painfully evident in her voice.

"Let me guess... you want the truth? The absolute truth? Because... as much as you might not like the answer... there is _no way_ you'd believe the complete and total truth."

"Of course!" Veara said, raising an eyebrow, "And I'll believe you. I think I'll believe whatever you say since you did fall from outer space where nothing should be alive, hm?"

"True... but... yeah. It's a bit hard to explain. Anyways... why did you take me here? Why would you take me to the hospital?"

"You should have seen the way you looked... It was just pitiful. Bruises all over your body... your wings were dislocated like no one's business. And you were covered in a fair amount of cuts as well. There was no way I was just going to leave you there."

"And... you were the only one to see me?"

"Well... yes an no. I was the only one to find your body and take it to a hospital. I'm sure tons of other people saw that streak of blue energy come crashing into the planet."

"Ah... yeah... I'd imagine. What do some of the other Artlens think caused that?"

"Our government fears that it might be some kind of attack, they're so jumpy lately... Many agree that streak of blue light can't be a space rock or anything like that... which is why I didn't tell anyone, they will likely harm you in the process of finding out whether or not you're a threat, sadly enough..." Then Veara went on to mutter softly about getting a new leader and about how the whole government shouldn't be so scared about everything. She stopped and cleared her throat. "Sorry about that, now please do tell me why you are here and how you got here."

"_Should I actually tell her?"_

"_Did Veara ever tell you in the future about meeting you in the past?" _ Yagoda asked.

"_No."_

"_Then no!"_

"_But wait... she would at least remember me in some way. I mean... I'm here now. Why didn't she ever mention it before... or in the future... or whatever."_

"_Thirty thousands years of brainwashing... that's all I've gotta say. The point is, we can't tell her we're time-travelers. We can't risk any piece of information managing to stick with her through brainwashing... the Grox might be able to recover it when they capture her. We have to be as subtle as possible."_

"_Fair enough... but what do I tell her?"_

"_Uh... do I have to do EVERYTHING?"_

"_Can you stop whining like a little girl?"_

"_Fair enough."_

Roku allowed Yagoda to take over his voice.

"My name is Arcadia. Our exploration team was investigating an abandoned piece of Matrini technology in one of their archives. It was a long distance galactic teleport device," said Yagoda, speaking through Roku once again, "Unfortunately... the ride was a bit rougher than we assumed. The teleport was designed for an entire spaceship. But... when we used it... we must have gotten some of the calibration wrong. The entire ship was torn apart... and the only thing that protected me was my hardened kronon shield. I'm not sure what happened to everyone else... probably scattered across the galaxy... or else disintegrated in the hyperspace vortex."

Veara stared at him for a full minute without saying anything. Clearly thinking his story over in her mind. "I see..." she said, though she sounded like she wasn't too sure about it - but accepted it nevertheless. "Anyways, those wounds of yours will take a while to fully heal. You'll have to stay here on Pangeara until they're healed enough to where you can go back to... wherever you came from."

"Very well," Roku responded, looking towards the Artlen from his position in the hospital bed, "Um... just an interesting question... but I've told you about myself... what about you?"

"Oh how rude of me," said Veara smiling, "I'm Veara Eveler. I'm a simple crafter, I make stuff that my people need... Nothing too special."

Roku waited for a moment before responding.

"Well... I suppose its right to say _Thank You._ Thank you for... you know... saving my life."

"No need to thank me," Veara said, "I would hate myself if I left you there."

Roku smiled for a moment, silently contemplating the irony of the situation. In a time not long from now, Veara would crash land into the Grox homeworld... and would be recovered by the Grox.

"What is there for me to do now?"

"From what I understand, you'll have to stay here in the hospital for a few more days. After that you're free to go about our city until you fully recover. You'll have to keep those bandages on for a while though."

"Very well. What all do the doctors even know happened to me?"

"I told them that I found your body in a crashed escape pod."

"Wouldn't they make some sort of connection to the falling you know... streak of blue energy?"

"Arcadia... had you been there... you would understand that the streak of energy looked nothing like any asteroid or mechanized piece of equipment. And of course... they would never believe that you survived a fall through the atmosphere without any form of technological protection."

"Yeah... I can imagine."

"I believe the doctors have to run a few more tests, so I'll be on my way."

"Well, okay. I guess I'll see you later."

"Yes, I will," Veara said, "I'll probably check up on you every once and awhile. When you're recovered enough to leave, I'll escort you to somewhere you can stay."

Roku was a bit surprised.

"Why are you doing all this for me? Why do you care so much?"

"Because... that's who I am. I _like_ to care for people. Is... something wrong with that?"

"_Dramatic irony... Dramatic irony... DRAMATIC IRONY!" _ Yagoda chanted inside of Roku's head.

"_SHUT UP!"_

"No... nothing's wrong with that. Just... thank you. Thank You."

"You're very welcome. I'll see you tomorrow... you should get some rest."

And with that, that artlen turned and departed from the hospital room.

Roku laid his head back against the hospital pillow.

"_So, since we'll be here for a little while... mind telling me what the entire plan is?" _Roku asked the second consciousness occupying his mind.

"_Simple. First of all, we wait for you to recover... as being just a part of your mind I can do little to speed up the healing process. Afterwards, you go with Veara wherever she takes you."_

"_How do you know she'll be taking me anywhere?"_

"_Trust me, Roku. I know her. I've been around quite a few universes... definitely enough to recognize personalities."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_She is kind, nice, caring... and all that other good stuff. But, from everything I understand... she is rather lonely."_

"_What? How would you know that?'_

"_Ascended deity... remember? Just trust me. She will be interested in looking out for you."_

"_Okay then... so what's the plan after that?"_

"_You need to gain her trust. In order for a piece of my consciousness to make it into her brain without her noticing... and without letting any later Grox brainwashers be capable of discovering it... it needs to hide in the deepest recesses of her subconscious... where Narahgeenah won't even be able to detect it. In order for me to be capable of doing that... she needs to trust you, so that her mind won't have any sufficiently annoying defenses set up."_

"_So... how do I do that?"_

"_We'll figure that out as we go along. For now, just rest."_

* * *

This was going to be a strange mission... to say the least.

It was three days later. Roku and Veara were walking out of the hospital, with the tharian following behind the artlen with a look of curiosity on his face. He had never truly set foot on Pangeara before... this was an entirely new experience. Looking back at the hospital, he could see that it was constructed as a large glass oval, with pillars supporting multiple metal overhangs. It definitely looked like something you would find in space age empire... but at the same time... it was not nearly as advanced in terms of shear obvious displays of technology, such as most of the other planets Roku had visited. Most empires with the capability to do so would build massive cathedrals and spires, stretching their cities to cover most of their entire home planet in urban sprawl. The Artlens appeared to be doing no such thing.

As they exited the hospital, Roku found himself dumped almost immediately into the center of the artlen city of Ferndanth. It was impressive in the sense the the Artlens had found ways of building their buildings in, around, and as part of the many trees that covered this part of Pangeara. Oh and yeah... a huge majority of the trees were _absolutely ridiculous_ in terms of sheer size. The city itself was constructed on multiple levels ascending from the base of the trunks to the top of the canopy. Right now, they were somewhere halfway up, walking across an artificial pathway constructed along the ridge of a massive branch leading to a city plaza carved into another colossal tree trunk across the way.

"There are four sections of Ferndanth," Veara began to explain, guiding Roku down the stone pathway, "The first and bottom level is devoted to growing food and building any necessary items. The second layer is built on the lower part of the massively thick trees but still very high up from the first section. That layer is mostly shops, business offices, and entertainment locations... stuff like that. That's where we are."

Artlens of all colors were flying around, going in and out of the shops around them. They all seem to be preparing for something. A good majority of the Artlens had wings, making Roku not stand out as much as he had feared. These different Artlen sub-types varied in size _greatly_. Some were substantially smaller than others, and some possess extremely psychedelic color coat patterns... like an someone had just taken a bucket of rainbow paint and thrown it on them. Roku had, of course, anticipated this.

"_I've never actually seen all of the different genetic sub-types of the Artlen species. It's amazing that they're all able to live together in peace."_

"_They weren't for a long time," Yagoda responded, "Most of the time they spent as a tribal civilization was spent at war with the other sentient artlen variations."_

"Higher up in the trees is the third section which contains most of their homes for the common Artlens," Veara continued.

As Roku continued to observe his surroundings, he saw that hover cars flying around, up and down the sections of Ferndanth, a few of them were being followed by very speedy winged artlens. The entire purpose of the hovercars appeared to be the creation of a form of efficient transportation for the grounded artlens since, unlike their kin, they did not possess wings.

"The fourth and last section is located at the very top of the trees. It contains pretty much all of our power facilities. Massive solar panels are placed all across the tops of the trees themselves. The canopy is sturdy enough to support a ridiculous amount of weight. Each of the sections is supported by thick metal beams and, of course, the trees themselves."

The two had reached the plaza on the other end of the branch pathway. Most of the architecture was colored the same theme as the flora around it. Therefore, normal 'earth' colors composed most of the structures. However, a fair amount of the structures had the typical hint of futuristic space age-empire. It was an amazing sight... a beautiful fusion of nature and technology. Add that to the fact that a multitude of hover-cars were blazing through Ferndanth's canopies, branches, and many different levels... and it was a sight to behold.

The plaza around them had a few shops selling miscellaneous items, as well as a few benches with different types of Artlens relaxing on them. A question occurred to Roku.

"What can you tell me about the different types of Artlens?"

"All right." said Veara, clearing her throat. "There are four types of Artlen: the Common, The Greater, The Lesser and The Grounded. All sub-types of Artlen, save for my own, have wings - ranging in size and color depending on the sub-type. There was another type called the False Artlen... but they died out a very long time ago. The False Artlens had tails which were very inconvenient to have on this planet."

"Go on."

"The Common Artlens got their name because they are able to adapt in different biomes such as the mountainous regions and glasslands. They live mostly in this the forests like these however... as they seem to enjoy living in very high places. Oh... and they're the most common of the four Artlens."

"Makse sense."

"The Greater Artlens are the biggest and the most colorful of all the Artlens hence the name Greater... but they are also the most dangerous to be around. Since the Greater Artlen live in the mountainous regions, one of the more hostile biomes on Pangeara, they kind of need to be so in order to survive. All Greater Artlens have two pairs of wings, the first pair, the top ones, are pretty big compared to the body. If not for flying, they mostly use the top pair for swimming since a majority of the mountain regions on Pangeara are close to the oceans. The second pair are a lot smaller, those are mostly for steering. All Artlens agree that Greater Artlens would, as an overall personality trait, rather be left alone That's why there is a project taking place to find a planet that the Greater Artlens move to. But... keep in mind that you _can_ befriend a Greater Artlen. There are some that are more friendly than others. It's just they can be very..." Veara paused to think "..ill-tempered for lack of better words."

Roku took a moment to examine the different Artlen types around him. From what he could tell, most to nearly all of the inhabitants of Ferndanth were either Common or Grounded Artlens. However, Roku was able to glimpse the occasional Greater... as their size and distinctive color patterns made them stand out _greatly_ from the other citizens.

"Then there are the Lesser Artlens, they are the smallest... they can stay around roughly five feet fall. They have dull colored coats, and are mostly a sandy color. They live in the desert part of Pangeara... but really they never stay in one place for too long. They have this need to move around. Very friendly and fun creatures, not a lot upsets them. Horrible fliers mind you, they are more like gliders than fliers than anything else."

"And, of course... you are?"

"Me? I am a Grounded Artlen. As you can plainly see... we Grounded Artlens don't have wings. The Grounded Artlens are the only Artlen without them hence the name 'Grounded.' We mostly live in glass planes though we tend to live next to the forests were the Common Artlens live. We seem to have a bond of some kind - throughout our evolution we seem to share kinship. Yes we do fight but it never lasts very long. The Grounded Artlens are the only type of Artlen that grows hair, which can grow to a few feet long." Veara pointed to her own pony tail while saying, "We keep our long hair tied up so it doesn't get in the way."

Roku was amazed by all of this information.

"_Amazing that they live in peace, isn't it?"_ Yagoda said.

"_It is... but that's not the weirdest part. I'm still trying to get over to the fact that I'm walking through this city with Veara... you know... the ruthless second in command of the Grox?"_

"_Yeah well... get over it."_

Roku and Veara were now walking across an artificial bridge, constructed out of some form of metal. This one was bridging the gap from the plaza they had just been in to what appeared to be a docking station. It was a large metal platform built into the side of another gigantic tree. Every few minutes, a hover car would come to a halt on the platform, and an Artlen would step inside. Moments later it would speed off. It had to be a transportation hub of some kind.

"Where are we headed?" Roku asked.

"Since I found you all mangled in that crater, I took it upon myself to make sure that you would heal properly... and so I'm taking you to the guest house on the outskirts of Ferndanth."

"Outskirts?"

"Just beyond the edge of this forest are the 'Fields of Fauxia.' They extend onwards for... quite a long while. Its just rolling plains and and grassland for hundreds of miles."

"Wow..."

"There's a small neighborhood built out there. That's where we're going."

Veara and Roku had crossed to the transportation hub. Roku's Artlen guide touched a few buttons on a panel sticking up out of the floor beneath them. The computer made a confirmation beep before Veara walked away from it. Roku followed her to the edge of the metal platform. Sure enough... within a good 30 seconds, a hover car came speeding to their location, quickly accelerating to a stop just in front of them. It had the typical design - sleek, enclosed, and with The automated back door slid open immediately afterwards.

The Artlen got in first, with Roku following. The door automatically slid closed behind them. It didn't take Roku very long to figure out that this vehicle was essentially, by earth standards, a 'taxi.'

"Where to?" the blue coated grounded artlen driver asked.

"Ania, please," Veara responded.

"Where's that?" Roku asked.

"That's the neighborhood I was talking about."

"Ah, I see."

The hover-car sped off with somewhat alarming speed. The many tree canopies and branches streaked through their vision as they flew through the complex of bridges, technology, and nature that was the city of Ferndanth.

Roku began to notice something that he had just began to spark curiosity in his mind. A large amount of the areas they were passing by appeared to be in a sort of 'decoration' process. It was like all of the city was putting on some sort of event... maybe even a celebration. As they continued to fly through the city, Roku could see through the hover-car windows that this was undeniably true. Streamers and posters were just the start of it.

"Veara."

"Yeah?"

"What's going on? What's with all the decoration?"

"Oh! I forgotten to tell you that the Purrina festival is starting tonight. The Purrina festival is exceptionally special... You see... once every 1500 years, give or take, our star system passes through the Zerus Nebulae. Starting tonight and continuing for the next eight days, the night skies are lit up with the most beautiful colors. Given its rarity, its a treat to see it. It's a really good time to spend the nights with someone that you really care for." Veara frowned a little when she said that last part, but it was quickly gone. "You're able to see all of the solar particles and nebulae dust that passes through the Sellica system... its just... beautiful."

"_Wow... I'm guessing you picked this arrival time because of that?"_ Roku asked Yagoda.

"_Ya' think?"_

The rest of their hover-car ride was in silence. They continued to fly past a large number of gigantic trees, until the density of the flora began to lessen. The trees were becoming further and further apart, and the amount of visible artificial structures was diminishing.

Before they knew it, they were outside of the forest that Ferndanth occupied, and accelerating across the expansive plains of Fauxia. The hills sloped up and down onwards unto the horizon. The plains were covered with a beautiful saturated green grass, long enough to wave slowly in the breeze. In the far distance, Roku could see Sellica itself, Pangeara's bright yellow star, glowing in the distance as it neared the horizon. Sunset was beginning... it was nearing the end of the day of Pangeara.

The hover-car began to descend. The field below them came into clearer view. A soft _thump_ signaled that the hover-car had safely landed on the surface of Pangeara. The door beside them once again automatically slid open, allowing the two passengers to exit.

Once outside, Roku found himself standing on an artificial brick road, that seemed to curve slowly across the plains of Fauxia, bending with the hills as it moved.

Roku then noticed the structures in front of them. The brick road seemed to extend into a small collection of houses.

"Here we are," Veara said, gesturing to the area just in front of them, "This is the neighborhood of Ania."

"It's notably far away from Ferndanth," Roku responded.

"That's the point. The people who live here don't want to be in the clutter of that city. It's unbelievably peaceful out here on the plains. Mind you, it's mostly grounded artlens that live in this neighborhood... I don't think any of those winged Artlens could bring themselves to live this close to the ground."

Roku looked behind him, to see the beginning of the Ferndanth forest on the far horizon. They certainly were far away from the clutter of the city. Of course, hover-car technology made travel easy.

The tharian turned back to face Ania.

Roku knew from experience that space age empires generally laced all structures with a sturdy metal framework. Regardless, the neighborhood looked very 'classical' to say the least. There were hover car docking areas... mailboxes... even a playground not too far away, with small artlen children running around playing a game. This was just... too good to be true. Everyone seemed so happy.

Past the houses was a continuation of the rolling hills of Fauxia.

"And... you live here?" Roku asked, looking over at Veara.

"Yes... I do actually," Veara said, "It's a little bit down the road. I work in Ferndanth, but I prefer the fields more than the trees. How about you?"

"Where I come from... we didn't have much of either."

"Oh?"

"I lived in quite a large city... but that's besides the point."

Veara didn't respond for a moment, and then she spoke up. "The guest house is actually right here..." she said, gesturing to the nearest residence, "It literally is used in turns by the people of this neighborhood to house guests."

"Fantastic," Roku responded, "So... what do we do now?"

"I should be asking you... you're the one who has to stay here for a few more days. There's no way you're going to be able to fly until those bones finish replenishing."

"Hm..." Roku thought for a moment, "The Purrina festival is coming up, isn't it?"

"Yeah... there's a huge celebration in Ferndanth's city square... nearly everyone goes to it. But... I'm just go out into the fields and watch. I rarely ever attend those huge celebrations."

"So you're planning on... just watching the Purrina in the middle of nowhere?"

"From what I understand... that's the best way to do it. No loud city distractions... and no light pollution. It's supposed to be the most beautiful natural anomaly you can see in Aeron."

"Is it then?"

"Well... at least that's what _we_ say."

"Figures." Roku was quiet for a moment. "And nobody's going with you? Don't you have other people in your family that would want to go to?"

"They... kind of just mind their own business. I haven't seen them in a while. I generally do a lot of things alone."

"Well... then I guess it's weird to ask but... would you mind if _I _came with you?"

"To the middle of nowhere?"

Roku was suddenly reminded of his adventure on Primo.

"Trust me... I've been there before. This is not the middle of nowhere... this place is amazing."

Veara smiled. "All right then... meet me back here in two hours."

"Very well."

* * *

The sky was absolutely, jaw-droppingly, outstandingly amazing.

The moment Sellica had completely set... and the darkness of night had covered the planet... the sky lit up with a dazzling array of colors. You could _see _the nebulae through Pangeara's atmosphere. The galactic gas swirled slowly in the distance. The large columns of morphing star substance seemed to glow. All of the normally visible night stars were piercing through the hazy shifting colors of the nebulae. Yellow... Red... Orange... Violet... all mixing together in a fantastic display of lights.

Nature at it's absolute finest.

"My Spode..." Roku said, observing all that was above him.

Roku and Veara were sitting on the grassy surface of Fauxia, a good two miles from Ania, on the slopes of a particularly large but slowly descending hill.

"Beautiful isn't it?" said Veara, not taking her bright pink eyes off the sky in fear of missing something. "You're lucky to see this at all. It's an unbelievable coincidence that you arrived on this planet just a few days before this was to begin."

"_Yeah... a coincidence."_

Yagoda laughed a little.

"Yes... it is beautiful," Roku said.

After spending a few hours exploring his guest house and the neighborhood of Ania that surrounded it, he had accompanied Veara as she walked out further into the fields of Fauxia. And here they were now... looking up at what was quite possibly the most beautiful thing Roku had ever seen. Well... it didn't quite compare to the hyper-reality between universes... but the tharian didn't feel like bringing that up.

Strangely enough, Roku had seen this display of colors before... in the vision through Stekvan's memories. But now... it was different. Now he was _there_. He was actually watching it... not through the hazy vision of a projected memory. All of the colors seemed more vibrant, more _real._ It was outstanding.

But then it occurred to Roku - the Purrina festival only lasted eight days, and it only happens once every 1500 years. In Stekvan's memories... when Veara was taken over by Narahgeenah... it had been during the Purrina. By horrifying process of elimination... that could only mean one thing - Veara was going to be taken over by Narahgeenah _within the next eight days._

Roku was shocked by this discovery. That fraction of Agriath's evil was trapped in the ground beneath Roku's feet. Stekvan had said that the portion of Agriath anchored itself into Pangeara... waiting and influencing the genetic schism that created the different Artlen variations. It tried to bring hate through this division, but from what Roku saw of this society... they had moved away from hate. They were _embracing_ each other differences.

Narahgeenah was growing impatient, and could no longer feed off of the residual archon of the Arlten race. It had now turned its attention to releasing Agriath from the galactic core, but it needed a host to do so. And that host... would be Veara.

"Are you alright?" asked Veara, looking at Roku "You seemed shocked by something..."

"No... no I'm fine," turning his face away from the sky to look over at Veara, "Just thinking about stuff."

"May I know about this stuff you're thinking of?"

"Many things..." Roku thought for a moment on what to say. He decided to settle on the truth - something that was on his mind, but not necessarily what he was _just_ thinking about. "From where I come from... it's a bit chaotic. We're on the brink of war."

"That's terrible!" Veara gave Roku a sympathetic look. "Isn't there a way to settle down and think about a solution and not fight about it? It's kind of pointless to fight unless you need to..."

"I wish we didn't have to fight. I truly wish it could all end. But far more is at stake than just money, politics, or power..." Roku paused for a moment. "We have to fight."

"You never _have_ to fight."

"Yeah... I hope you're right," Roku responded, turning his gaze back towards the sky. As he looked at the nebulae above, he thought about everything he had been through. The Fall of Thar... the raid on Sol III... Barx... Phyrhcous... Primo... Marksul... all of it one big pile of nonsense. Then of course, even the stuff he just recently _remembered._ Everything with Amy and Yagoda. But then Roku realized... _none _of that was happening now. In this part of the timeline, Agriath was trapped in the galactic core, stripped of his godlike powers. Narahgeenah had yet to make a move... and the Tesseract was not causing unbelievable unnatural advancements in power. And the Grox... as corrupt as they are... were fulfilling their duty to protect the core, the way they had set out to do. The Grox were Agriath's prison guardians, and would be for thousands more years.

But once the Grand Master gained control... their objective would switch almost instantly.

But now, there was peace. For the first time in a while, Roku wasn't running from something continuously out to kill him. The was the first relaxation he had had since the day he had woken up on Thar to go refuel the dark energy in his spaceship.

Oh that day...

"_Roku,"_ Yagoda said.

"_What?"_

"_Remember why we're here. You need Veara's trust."_

"_And again I ask... how?"_

"_Oh Roku... do you think I would just throw you into the situation without any planning?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Shut up. You've already seen a fair number of coincidences come into play because of me. You've got about 14 more seconds."_

"_14 more seconds until what?"_

_ "Don't move from where you are just stay still and continue looking at the sky. If you want Veara's trust, you have to let this play out the way I want it to."_

_ "Okay then."_

Roku sat there in silence, waiting anxiously for something to occur. After 14 seconds had passed... nothing happened.

_"Yagoda... were you just messing with..."_

"You two, UP NOW!" a voice behind them commanded.

Roku immediately felt the firing end of a plasma rifle pressed up against his back. The same was being done to Veara.

"Hands above your heads, and don't say anything else. Just stand up!" The voice was low and filled with anger.

_"Just do what he says,"_ Yagoda said.

Roku and Veara slowly rose to their feet (and talons), and turned to face the whoever was behind them.

It was an Artlen... a _Common_ Artlen, and a male as far as Roku could tell. He was a shade of purple, with dark blue - almost black - markings. He was clearly in a state of disarray, as his fur was severely messed up and covered in a fair amount of dirt. All of the feathers in his wings were out of order. As an added bonus, he didn't look happy at all - the expression on the Arlten's face was stuck on one of disdain and anger.

The Artlen was holding two plasma rifles, one in each hand. They were shaking as they pointed at Roku and Veara.

"Who are you?" Roku asked, arms still above his head.

"The names Goff," the Artlen responded, "The rest of who I am isn't important. I'm here for all of your money and valuables."

"Seems original," Roku remarked.

"What did you say?" Goff exclaimed, moving his plasma rifle closer to Roku.

Roku didn't respond.

"That's what I thought."

_"You wanted this to happen?" _ Roku asked Yagoda.

_"Just go with it..."_

"What do you want us to give you?"

"Everything you have. But truly... just one thing in particular."

"How can you know we even have anything valuable with us?"

"I know that Ms. Eveler here was one thing that I desire."

The Artlen next to Roku almost immediately grasped the necklace hanging around her neck. Roku hadn't even paid any attention to it before... but now he realized. At the end of the thin metal necklace was a small red gem. _That_ had to be worth something.

"Goff... I thought you were in prison!" Veara exclaimed.

"I _was_ in prison. I've been wandering these fields for a while, taking up camp in different locations. But with _that_ gem and a good buyer... I'll be able to pay my bail ten times over."

"Why do you need bail if you're already out of prison?"

"I'd rather not have the Artlen Guard following me constantly like there's no tomorrow. So... if you would be so kind as to hand me that gem, that would be fantastic."

_"Act now, Roku."_

"Veara, give me the gem."

"What?" Veara shouted.

"Please, Veara. You have to trust me."

Veara knew that they had little time to act, and so she reluctantly pulled down on the necklace, breaking the connection behind her neck. She then tossed the entire necklace over to the Tharian, who quickly grabbed it.

"I will not have this foolishness!" Goff shouted.

The winged Artlen placed the rifle in his left hand back in it's holster, reaching out and grabbing hold of Veara. With some force, he pulled her into a neck lock, placing the rifle in his other hand right up against the side of Veara's head. Veara struggled but was unable to break out of Goff's hold.

"Do anything other than what I command," Goff stated, "And she dies in an instant."

Roku looked at Goff with a blank expression.

"Why are you doing this, Goff?"

"I don't understand, alien. What do you mean?"

"Why are you stealing? Why are you..."

"I've heard enough. All I require is that gem. Give it to me, and I'll be on my way."

"Oh... you'd like that wouldn't you."

"Excuse me? I have your friend right here, ready to be killed... and you make jokes?"

Veara, from her perspective, was severely worried. She had just recently met Roku, and had little to no knowledge of his motives or personality. She had no idea how he would react... and she had just given him one of the most valuable gems on Pangeara... and she was trusting him to save her life.

"Yes. Yes I do," Roku said, smiling, "But it's more than that. Veara here saved my life. If it weren't for her... I would not have recovered... and I would not be here. And now, oh so confident Goff... I return the favor."

Before Goff could even think about saying another word, his plasma rifle was knocked out of his hand by a ridiculously fast arm movement.

"What... how did you?"

WHAM.

A kick to the stomach sent Goff backwards and forced him to let go of Veara to clutch his chest.

"I will not have this!" Goff said, pulling his other plasma rifle out of its holster and charging towards the tharian.

"But I will," Roku said.

As Goff readied the plasma rifled and energy began to build up in its barrel... it was knocked out of his hand by an invisible blast of psionic energy.

Telekinesis had its uses.

"WHAT?" Goff shouted in frustration, "How in the?"

Goff, however, had forgotten to stop running towards Roku. Right as he neared the tharian, he found himself the recipient of several professional kicks, punches, and dislocation maneuvers.

Veara simply stood behind the entire scene, her mouth open in surprise.

With one last shove, Goff was on the ground, even more disheveled than before, and groaning in pain. He simply laid on the ground and looked up at the sky, an expression of shock and horror frozen on his face.

Roku walked up next to the body of the Common Artlen.

"Never again will you threaten anyone on this planet. Am I clear?"

"Y... Yes," Goff responded, stuttering as he tried to speak.

"Now be gone," Roku said, "Before I change my mind about letting you go."

Goff quickly scrambled to his feet, desperately trying to get away from Roku. In a matter of seconds, he had spread his wings and taken off into the night sky. Veara and Roku watched for a few minutes as he glided into the distance.

"That was... amazing," Veara said, "How in the... How in the world did you do that?"

"The Tryo Empire has some training."

Veara walked closer to where Roku was standing.

"You saved my life."

"As did you."

Roku then extended his right hand, holding in his palm the still intact necklace.

"Here, take this."

Veara reached out to grab hold of the gem.

"Thank you. This gem..." Veara said, "Was given to me by father. It was a priceless family heirloom for the longest time. But then Artlens discovered that the material that forms this gem, Regimight, is extremely rare and highly valuable. It can be a source of tremendous electrical energy, and its ridiculously valuable. Normally people don't make the connection that the gem at the center of my necklace is made of Regimight... Goff was the first one to do it. He's a thief for a living... so it only a matter of time before he figured it out."

Roku was abruptly reminded of his mission on Korona... the planet on the outskirts of Grox controlled space that was absolutely filled with Regimight. Here, to a level 7 civilization, any amount of Regimight was absolutely amazing. Little did Veara know of the conflict that this mineral would cause later in her life...

"Wow," Roku said, "Well... you're very welcome."

Veara and Roku smiled before moving back to where they were previously sitting. Before long, they had resumed looking at the beautiful lights of Purrina. Now they were both laying down on the grass, looking directly upwards towards the sky. It was still absolutely amazing.

Minutes passed. Roku didn't keep count anymore. It may have been a good twenty minutes that Veara and Roku stared up into night sky in silence.

_"Now's the time," _Yagoda stated, _"You know what to do."_

Roku turned his head to look over at the Artlen laying on the grass not too far from him. He immediately recognized something - her eyes were closed, and she was taking slow rhythmic breaths. She was asleep.

Roku laughed a little, but knew that this was his time to take action. He now had her trust, and she was asleep - all of her psionic defenses were down.

The tharian quietly shifted towards the Artlen, rising so that he was balancing on his knees. He reached out one of his hands and gently placed it on Veara's forehead.

_"This better work..."_ Roku thought to himself.

**FLASH.**

Roku was standing in a large room. The walls were made of a strange stone-like material. Large glass windows occupied huge portions of the wall, as well as the hole beneath their feet. Beyond that glass... an outer-space like void... occupied with what seemed to be distant galaxies and massive star clusters.

This was a projection of a portion of Veara's mind.

At the center of the large room was a single pillar of energy, extending through the ceiling and the floor. It pulsated with some strange energy.

"Finally, we're here."

Roku spun to face the strange voice coming from his right.

It was Yagoda. She was once again occupying a visible form, standing off to the right and looking towards the pillar of energy.

"What now?" Roku asked.

"Nothing complicated," Yagoda responded, "Just give me a second."

The ascended deity took steps forward, using her strange tentacle like legs to move towards the pillar of energy. When she stood in front of it, she extended one of her hands, allowing it to pass into the shifting field of blue light. She closed her eye.

"This is a representation of the deepest reaches of Veara's subconscious," Yagoda explained, "All I have to do is..."

The purple aura around Yagoda began to glow brighter than before, and, to Roku's amazement, it began to fade into the pillar of blue energy, channeling itself through Yagoda's arm. Before his eyes, Roku saw the pillar of energy change colors, shifting from a pale blue to a deep purple.

Yagoda removed her arm from the pillar, taking a step back in the process.

"Okay... that piece of my psionic energy will remain dormant in Veara's mind for 30,000 years, hopefully undetected."

"Okay... now we've done what we came here to do... what do we do now?"

"You wait until you're fully healed... and then you head off to Thar to meet up with Captain Marks."

"What will that accomplish?"

"He will be able to guide you to a cryogenic chamber... where you'll be safely hidden away for the remaining time between now and the time period you're from."

"Fair enough."

**FLASH.**

Roku was back on Pangeara, removing his hand from Veara's forehead. He shifted back over to where he was before, laying back down on the grass.

Veara hadn't even stirred.

Roku closed his eyes, and before he could stop himself... he fell asleep as well.

* * *

It was 5 days later. Roku was now fully healed. He knew that it was his time to leave... he couldn't risk interacting with the past any longer.

Veara and Roku we're standing on the brick road leading out of Ania and towards Ferndanth. Far behind them was the tall canopy of the forest, and in front of them was the peaceful neighborhood. It was early morning on Pangeara. Sellica was just beginning to poke through the sky, and the glory of the Purrina was still gracing the sky.

"Well... you're sure about this?" Veara asked.

"Yes. I am. You said yourself - I can't leave until I'm fully healed. Well, I am now. And I have things I need to do."

"Where are you going to go?" Veara asked, a little curious.

"Back to the Tyro Empire... they need to know of what happened."

"Very well... the best place for you to get a ride would be at the Ferndanth spaceport. You should be able to catch a flight to any star system in this galactic arm... well... any star system that we've discovered."

Roku laughed a little. "Yeah, don't worry... I'll be able to get back home."

There was an drawn out silence.

"I guess... this is goodbye then."

"Yeah... I suppose it is."

"It was great getting to know you. Do you suppose we'll ever see each other again?"

Roku smiled.

"I have no doubt, Veara. Just keep in mind... that things don't always turn out the way you expect them to."

"Not sure what that means... but that's besides the point. I'll be seeing you off to the Ferndanth spaceport. I sure you hope you have everything that you brought."

"Yep, I sure do," Roku said, gesturing towards the bag he was holding in his right hand. It was filled with all of his armor... which would have been a bit awkward to where in this normal society. Roku was in fact wearing a normal set of clothes, tinted a blue-ish color.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Veara exclaimed, "You're going to need some sort of money to pay for the trip."

"Yeah... I suppose I will...'

"Wait here. I'll be back in a moment."

"Okay then."

Veara went speeding off back down the road and towards her house. The Artlen was always really good at running fast.

Roku began to pace up the hill to his right. As he shifted into a new vantage point, he was able to see Veara's house. It was the same structure he had seen in Stekvan's vision, situated near the edge of the neighborhood, with a doorway and porch facing the expansive Fauxia fields. Roku watched as Veara ran around her house, quickly opening her door and running inside.

This was absolutely an experience that Roku would never forget.

_"I can barely imagine... having to go back and face the Veara of the future..."_

_ "Yes... remember what you're fighting for. You're fighting to bring back this... the true Veara. And on that note... I am sorry... I am truly sorry."_

Roku couldn't figure out what Yagoda was sorry about. Everything seemed perfectly fine.

The door to Veara's house opened again, and Veara slowly walked back outside. She was carrying a small slip of plastic in her hand now. She took a few steps down from her porch, walking across the fields. Spotting Roku in his new position, she began to walk through the grass towards him.

And then... it happened.

Veara grabbed her shoulder as if suffering extreme pain. She almost instantly collapsed to the ground, screaming in apparent agony. She was shaking in absolute fear.

Roku wanted, with all his might, to scream out Veara's name and go running to her aid...

But he knew he couldn't. He could not change this event... it was set in stone. This was what Roku had seen in Stekvan's vision.

Veara was now shaking on the ground, grasping her head with her claws so tight that it began to bleed.

Even from the distance... Roku could hear Veara's cry...

"W-What... is this... pain?"

This was horrible. This was the start of an evil that would last for thousands of years.

There was a huge expansion of archon energy... and then Veara fell completely limp and unconscious.

And Roku was powerless to do anything.

As he had seen before, another Grounded Artlen came running off of a porch of a nearby house, sprinting towards the form of Veara's body. He looked shocked... scared and worried to say the least.

"Oh my..." the Artlen said, observing the scar on Veara's left shoulder.

Roku closed his eyes. He could not change any of this. All he could do was pray for his plans eventual success.

He spoke softly into the wind.

"I will fight you long and hard for many years. It will look bleak and impossible... but hope is always there. No matter how hard you try... No matter how many people you kill... No matter how powerful you think you are... or how successful you think you're plan will be... I _will_ stop you. Yes, you will become very powerful. Yes, you will do a large number of things that will bring inhabitants of countless civilizations to their knees... and yes, you will become very successful... but it will not last forever. I will save you, Veara Eveler."

Roku turned around and walked towards the hover-taxi docking station. He would no longer need Veara to accompany him to the spaceport... as this was no longer Veara. This was the raw darkness of her soul brought to the surface.

There was only one way he could save her now. He had to leave.

_"Someone has some anger issues..." _Yagoda stated.

_"It doesn't matter. Narahgeenah will get what's coming. We will end this."_

* * *

_One week later..._

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Marks asked, a little hesitant.

"Yes, absolutely. I need to return to where I came from."

"So... you're really from the future then...?"

"Yes... yes I am."

Roku was standing in an open cylindrical tube of glass, most of his body strapped to a thick piece of metal. He was now wearing only a thin cloth-like set of pants and shirt. Multiple needles were sticking into different parts of his body, programmed to monitor his vital life signs.

"And you said... thirty-one thousand four hundred and sixty two years, seventy days, 8 hours, and 34 minutes... exactly?"

"Yes... exactly... can you be sure it will be accurate enough?"

"I can't guarantee the minutes and hours part of it... but you'll definitely get the right day... at least... I think."

Marks pressed the confirmation button on the computer screen, and then moved back towards Roku.

Just beyond the cylindrical tube was a large set of control panels. Beyond that... a wall. They were in a very small claustrophobic chamber located deep below the surface of Thar. It was a cryogenic facility that was owned and run by the Tharian Council. Roku knew from the history books that he was forced to study that it was created for the function of storing animals in danger of extinction... or sentient beings that possessed a lethal and yet incurable disease. It was an expansive facility, housing many chambers just like the one Roku was in now. This was the perfect place to sit and wait until it was time to rejoin the fight against Agriath.

"You sure you got that thing programmed right?" Roku asked.

"Yes, I'm positive. This entire chamber has been technologically isolated from the rest of the facility. The main computer framework can't detect... the maps don't show that it exists... and the door will be sealed completely shut. It will not exist. None of the employees will even bother coming over here in the first case, given that we're on the extreme end of the facilities West wing... and miles beneath the surface of Thar. That little wave bender that I added to the door will help as well. And of course, once the Cryogenic Facility on Kimplemvora is finished with its construction, this one will be abandoned. All of these isolation mechanisms will ensure that you'll remain here, completely isolated, for thousands of years after that. Nobody should disturb you at all."

That was the least amazing thing happening... as speaking to Roku was none other than his ancestor... Captain Marks of the Old Tharian Empire. The one and only hero who had brought the militaristic nature of the Old Tharian Empire into the scientific nature that they would strive for all the way through Roku's time. Even then, Marks' Old Tharian body was distinctly different from Roku's New Tharian form. Instead of eagle wings... he had bat wings. Instead of a human like face... his entire head structure seemed akin to that of a crocodile. Instead of the eyes being located _on_ his head... they were on the ends of short eye stalks protruding from the sides of his face. His legs were long with human like feet at the end... and his hands had a distinct webbed structure. The tail behind him ended in a large barbed appendage.

Given the issues it would cause, Roku was unable to speak to Marks about what would happen to him with Sol III and Primo... but he _could _tell him something else.

"So... you say I'm your ancestor... what happens to make the Tharians look so different?" Marks asked, moving back into the cryo cylinder to make sure all of the settings on the different IVs were correct, and that none of the straps were too loose.

"One day... an object will crash into Thar. It'll make all of your empire change to look similar to me... and not just that... but great technological advances will come as well. The Tharian Empire will rise as the only true rival of the Grox."

"This object... what is it?"

Roku took a breath... and said the word that was a plague to all mortality. "The Tesseract."

"The Tesseract? What's that then?"

"You'll learn that yourself... One day you'll read a prophecy about it... and you'll gain quite a bit of understanding. Don't worry about what may happen... just know that one day... that prophecy will come to pass. We will do everything in our power to win."

Mark smiled. "Good enough for me. Now... I'm about to activate the cryo chamber... Any last words? Spode... it sounds like I'm going to execute you or something."

"Yeah... just one thing. Good luck on all of your endeavours, Captain Marks."

"Same to you, Roku Azero."

The cryo chamber slid shut quickly, forming a complete cylinder around the New Tharian. The computerized voice chimed to life.

_Cryogenic Chamber Activated. Life Form Preservation Circuits Online._

The room filled with a purple gas... and within seconds... Roku felt his mind drifting into unconsciousness.

"_See you in thirty thousand years..." _ Yagoda said, her own telepathic voice showing noticeable signs of tiredness.

"_Yeah... see ya'."_

* * *

_There we go. The last calm chapter of the story. From here on out, its a home-run stretch for the climax._

_Oh and a sidenote:_

_ If anyone here hasn't seen the new "Avengers" movie, I encourage you to do so... because it contains an object very, very, very, very eerily similar to an object in my story. Basically... without context... it can almost seem like "Avengers" stole my Tesseract idea._

_(I did my research though. The 'Tesseract' in the Avengers movie was originally called the Cosmic Cube in the comics, and was changed to 'Tesseract' specifically for the movies. It didn't open 'portals' in the original comics... but had some other similar functions. Plus "Tesseract" isn't a copyrighted name... its really just a geometry term for "four dimensional cube." It was just an awkward coincidence that the movie writers chose to make the new version of the Cosmic Cube so similar to the Tesseract in my story. When I noticed a glowing blue cube that could open inter-dimensional portals... and it just happened to be called the Tesseract... it was a bit surprising as I was watched the movie.)_

_Don't forget to review!_


	38. The Glorious Return

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

38: The Glorious Return

* * *

_Enjoy._

* * *

The corrupted Amahani stood before Harko, Maruck, Arcadia, Chase, Stekvan, and Cathy, an expression painted across his disfigured face that conveyed nothing beyond absolute elation. This was his victory. The Alliance would be shattered and the captains would perish.

"No..." Chase said.

"Goodbye to you all..." the Grand Master said, a dark smile crossing his lips.

As the Grand Master finished his statement, an absolutely unexpected and horrifying sound resonated across the top of the Main Control Tower.

The Quantum Gateway, the link to the Tetradon Universe, was suddenly cut off. The beam of flowing energy, stretching high into the sky, dissipated almost immediately. Everyone standing at the apex of the Control Tower spun around in shock. The Grand Master raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing the implications.

"What... how is that possible...?" Stekvan exclaimed, moving towards where the gateway used to be activated, "... Roku... What happened to Roku?"

Arcadia spun back around to face the Grand Master.

"What have you done?" the Chimera exclaimed, no patience conveyed in his voice.

"For the first time, mortal, I have done absolutely nothing. Whatever fate befell your tharian comrade is of your own doing," the Grand Master responded with a dark and brooding calmness.

"Impossible..." Harko muttered.

"How... how could..." Chase tried to say, "But... Cathy, wasn't Roku right behind us?"

"He should have been, yes..." Cathy responded, "This doesn't make any sense."

"Unless..." Stekvan said, thinking, "Harko, what was that device you threw into the gateway..."

"_Enough of this irrelevant nonsense!_" the Grand Master cut in, causing everyone to turn back around and face the Amahani, "The purpose of my presence here has already been mostly fulfilled. I am delaying only to satiate my curiosity on a particular matter. This... 'Cathy...' an inhabitant of the Tetradon Universe I presume?"

Stekvan and Chase instinctively began to step closer to the human, knowing what her capture at the hands of the Grand Master could entail.

"You are correct," Stekvan responded, sternly.

"And of what consequence is her presence within the Epsilon Universe to all of you?"

Stekvan and Chase paused for a moment, not sure of how to respond to that.

Cathy was the one that broke the silence.

"Don't kid yourself, Agriath," she stated, staring directly at her questioner, "You should be thanking me profusely for all that I've done for you."

"_Excuse me?_"

"Without the Tesseract... your return from desolation would have been _impossible_."

"Ah... I see now..." the Grand Master said, a smile crossing his lips in realization, "You're Cathy Anson... the one and only... the daughter of the one who made everything possible." The Amahani's voice became eerily upbeat. "You are correct, of course. My manners have escaped me. Thank you, Ms. Anson, your contribution to my stratagem is most appreciated."

Nobody on floor 500 of the Tower could formulate a legitimate response to that statement. It took a moment before anyone spoke again.

"It matters not," Stekvan exclaimed, "You have tried time and time again to annihilate us, Agriath, but none of our attempts have prevailed. What makes you think this time will be so different?"  
The Grand Master laughed a little bit.

"Well, if you must, Jaxxod, I didn't come all the way up here just to _inform_ you that the tower's core was destabilizing... and then leave, trusting that you would wait here patiently for your obliteration. No... I came up here to kill you myself."

"Ah, yeah," Chase said, "Of course."

The Grand Master reached one of his long arms out in front of him, and then closed his fingers into a tight fist. Immediately after the motion, the air around the apex of the Main Control Tower began to accelerate rapidly, forming a vortex of swirling wind around the captains. As the funnel of air grew stronger, its transparency also diminished. It was becoming a cocoon of darkness... a shifting field of archon.

A sudden gust of directed wind knocked Cathy off of her feet and sent her spiraling towards one of the large pillars on the edge of level 500. She smashed into it and was immediately disoriented. The vortex continued to grow in strength.

"What was that for?!" Chase exclaimed.

"I am not foolish, Chase. You would not have brought an inhabitant of Tetradon here without good reason. She will stay alive until I discover what that reason is," the Grand Master stated.

"No..." Stekvan said under his breath.

Arcadia lunged forwards and threw out one of his arms, projecting a jet of frozen particles at the barrier the Grand Master had generated. Upon contact with the swirling mass, Arcadia's attack instantly evaporated.

"Done yet?" the Amahani asked.

Arcadia took a couple of steps back.

"This will forever be a symbol," the Grand Master spoke, as if he was addressing a large audience, "The twilight of those who oppose me. Today marks the end of the Alliance. The end of all of you."

The vortex of swirling darkness was beginning to close in. Arcs of electricity would occasionally streak across different parts of the vortex, temporarily igniting the area around them and emitting a loud ear-splitting noise.

The archon vortex grew louder, closing in. Harko, Stekvan, Chase, Arcadia, and Maruck were now back to back, attempting to take up as little space as possible within the diminishing safe area that they had.

And then...

As quickly as the vortex was conjured into existence... it was cast away. Within a matter of seconds, all traces of the lethal mass of swirling archon was eradicated. The wind - gone. The darkness - gone. The four captains and Harko looked around in shock.

"What is the meaning of this!?" the Grand Master shouted at the top of his lungs, "Who did this?!"

There was a tense silence devoid of any response.

"_I demand explanation!_"

Nothing.

Then... a faint noise ascended into audibility. It was familiar... vaguely familiar...

It was the sound of a spacecraft's engines. But not just any spacecraft... it was the sound of the _Cerion_.

Harko and Maruck, who weren't facing the direction that the sound was emanating from, slowly turned around to get a good look at what was happening.

Cathy was also starting to get back to her feet.

What they saw... made their jaws drop.

Rising slowly on the side of the Main Control Tower opposite that of the Grand Master was the silhouette of a New Tharian. The details of its face were difficult to discern against the bright star that was shining almost directly behind it. The captains had to squint their eyes to focus on the silhouette... but when the details became clear... it was... of course...

Roku.

"Did you guys miss me?"

To top it all off, Roku was standing atop Stekvan's spacecraft, as it slowly rose upwards, making itself level with the platform at the top of the Main Control Tower. The tharian had an expression of joy radiating on his face. In his right hand was one of the Staffs of Life, glowing with the energy that could cast away all archon. It was clear he had used that device to blow away the Grand Master's assault.

"I was starting to revel in your absence, Azero," the Grand Master responded coldly.

"It's nice to see you too."

The tharian continued to maintain direct eye contact with the Amahani as walked across the top of Stekvan's spacecraft and then stepped down from the edge of the Cerion and onto the surface Main Control Tower. Directly afterwards, the Cerion drifted back and away from the tower before holding itself in place. As Roku slowly walked forwards and through the group of his confused and awe-shocked comrades the Biorod in his hand continued to pulsate with radiating life energy.

"Explain yourself Roku. How did escape Tetradon?"

Roku smiled, coming to a halt a couple of feet in front of everyone else atop the Tharian Citadel - a position that was exceptionally close to the Grand Master.

"The same way the Tesseract arrived in this Universe, Mr. Oh-so-omnipotent."

The Grand Master leaned back for a moment, contemplating the implications of what Roku had just said.

"A temporal causality loop," the Amahani stated in a tone signaling complete understanding, "Quite clever, I must admit. That explains quite a bit. But from what I can see... Mr. Oh-so-arrogant... the paradox is already fulfilled. You are no longer capable of providing foresight."

"I no longer need foresight, Dimitri. I did what I wanted to do... and here I am."

* * *

_**19 Hours Earlier**_

Roku gasped for breath.

Cold air filled his lungs, causing him to start an unpleasant series of coughs. The world was very had to make out... a jumble of blurriness... as if his vision had betrayed him.

The tharian could barely discern the sound of a computerized voice.

_Cryo-Sleep Disengaged. Releasing Occupant._

Directly following this announcement, the straps all across Roku's body released, and he found himself tumbling onto the ice covered metal floor beneath him. Roku shook his head a few times, trying to knock sense back into his mind. After a few failed attempts, Roku successfully managed to stand up.

"_Uh... good morning. Now THAT was what I call a good night's sleep!"_ Yagoda said from within Roku's mind.

Roku outwardly smiled at the comment.

There was the sound of a small motor activating somewhere nearby. Just as Roku was finally getting his eyes to cooperate, he saw the transparent entrance to the cylindrical cryo-chamber sliding open. The thick clouds occupying the chamber began to disperse all across the room. Roku moved forwards with them, stepping completely out of the stasis cell.

"_Did it work?_" Roku asked in his mind.

"_I sense we're in the right time period... but my abilities are currently limited. You'll have to use the date on the computer."_

The tharian stepped over to the computer panel he had seen Captain Marks use before going into hyper-sleep. Amazingly, all of the systems were still fully functional.

"_That's fusion cell technology for ya'," _Roku commented.

"_This entire cryo-chamber cell block was hidden from perception by Marks' manipulation of the security grid... plus the wave bender placed on the door. When the Tharians came to demolish the entire facility in lieu of the newer model on Kimplemvora, they left this portion of the facility untouched."_

"_So wait... you're telling me that we're miles underground... trapped in an isolated cryo-chamber cell with no other passageways leading anywhere else?_"

"_Um... yeah... that would be exactly what I just said. It was the only way to ensure you wouldn't be disturbed for the many years you had to wait._"

A few moments later the computer panel was displaying the current date on its holographic screen.

_9210k58 - 270/16_

Roku never really favored the galactic dating system. It measured such obtrusively long periods of time... that it wasn't the most efficient method of keeping time on a day-to-day basis. Roku pressed another button on the panel, switching the date to display in New Tharian Standard.

_7th of Valorfall, 7644_

Roku pressed another button to pull up the current time.

_9:44AM Pyles Standard Time_

"_It worked..._" Roku thought, "_We did it. We're here._"

"_And when is that, exactly?_"

"_15 hours hours before the Alliance launches its attack on the Grox occupation here on Thar. Then... let's see... that puts us about 6 hours before the first gateway to Tetradon is opened... so that means an hour before me, Stekvan, Arcadia, Chase, and Maruck launch our initial attack. We got here right on time."_

"_Excellent."_

Roku turned away from the computer monitor and walked towards the large iris door that stood as their only exit. It was completely locked. The metal it was constructed of seemed absolutely impassable.

"_You know... you're not going to find much past that door besides rubble and collapsed rock. Remember... this facility was demolished."_

"_Well okay then... Ms. I-Know-Everything. Where do we go from here?"_

"_Sheesh... you could've asked. You still have your short-range teleport, right?"_

"_Yeah. But as you also know, the Main Control Tower is generating a teleport nullification field that..."_

"_All we have to do is get ahold of whatever encryption code the Grox are using right now. Easy as pie."_

"_Hardly, Yagoda. The Grand Master only trusts those codes to his highest ranking Dronox. Even after Stekvan stole one of the teleport devices and used it to escape, the encryption was changed in mid-teleport. Maruck and Arcadia were separated from the rest of us because of that. Spode knows where they ended up."_

"_Oh Roku... that only happened 'cause the Grox immediately knew their code had been compromised. This time... you have me. If we can get one of the codes without their knowledge... we can teleport wherever we'd like."_

"_And how are we gonna' accomplish that?"_

"_Regardless of my present state, I'm still capable of projecting a small portion of my mind towards a different location, so long as I have another sufficiently powerful psionic-enhanced being to use as an anchor. Thanks to me now being condensed, significantly less powerful version of myself... I can no longer project a visible or communicable image. I'm only able to cast my vision to another location."_

"_And that's all we need."_

"_Exactly. I'll be back soon, little birdy."_

Yagoda giggled as the Tharian outwardly rolled his eyes. Directly after this exchange... Roku could feel Yagoda's consciousness lift out of his body. It was a weird sensation, as if someone had just dumped a bucket of water on him... and then that water had proceeded to spontaneously evaporate.

_"Be back soon..." _Yagoda said, before her voice completely faded into silence.

Roku was suddenly aware of the world around him, specifically, just how much more peaceful it was without a second consciousness constantly blabbing away inside his head.

The New Tharian took the moment sit down, folding in his wings and leaning against the wall glass wall of the cryo chamber behind him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had to ready himself for returning to what was quite possibly the biggest conflict the Aeron Galaxy had ever seen... the war for the Tesseract.

Roku's eyes snapped back open.

He remembered something... something that needed to happen to continue completing the paradox. Roku reached over to his right and grabbed his bag of armor and weapons, which was only a few feet away from him. He set the bag on his lap and undid the flap on the top to reveal its contents.

A New Tharian Standard Tritium Curiass...

A hyper-containing utility belt...

A dark energy rifle...

About five other articles of armored clothing...

And then at the bottom, hidden under everything, was his subspace message receiver.

Roku picked it up out of the bag and held it in his hands. It was small and rectangular, with a holographic touch surface dominating most of its interface side. With a quick tap, the hologram burst into life, displaying the familiar menu screen. There it was... highlighted under 'Recently Received Messages...'

_Message from 'me' on 7th of Valorfall, 7644 at 10:26AM:_

_"Do not worry. When death is about to come, by the powers of flames, do not fear. You will be safe. -Azero 1153_

Roku smiled. Oh how time-travel was fun...

Roku pulled up the 'New Message' menu, swiftly using the holographic keys to re-write the message. When he had finished, he selected the 'Maximum Encryption' option, and then 'Delay Message Sending.' He needed this message to arrive when he had received it, and he needed his past self to believe that the source was truly credible. He set the delay option to the aforementioned "10:26AM," and then pressed 'Send.'

Before he put away the device, Roku opened the "New Message" menu a second time, this time setting the recipient to be Stekvan.

_Stekvan Gallindo, if and when you receive this, know that my plan is finally coming full circle. While I cannot know with absolute certainty, it is extremely likely that you saw me, thousands of years ago, when I was in the past with Veara. You could see all of the galaxy from within the core. You even showed me the scene of Veara's corruption, an occurrence that I was present at, but you never revealed my own presence within that chain of events. I now know why. You knew that I was destined to travel back through the time stream... so you proceeded to not alter events. If any of this is true, trust me now. I have returned from the past and need your assistance._

_ Before you set out for Thar make sure you give my "past" self your Selective Electro Magnetic Pulse Emitter, but don't tell him what it is until he asks from within the Main Control Tower. This was how I experienced it... and so now you must make sure it occurs that way._

_ Also, when the time is necessary, abandon your spacecraft in favor of a free fall descent. Do not worry, I will make sure the Cerion is safe and returned to you._

_ I will see you soon._

_ - Azero 1153_

Roku encrypted the message and then pressed 'Send.' This one didn't need to be delayed given that Stekvan had previously mentioned receiving his message earlier than the other one.

"_Boo!"_

Roku jumped a little, quickly gasping for air. The overly-talkative deity had returned to his consciousness.

"_Seriously? Why'd you have to do that?"_

"_Cause I could, oh-so-stoic Roku. I'm just having a little fun."_

"_Did you get the code?"_

"_Of course I did. Used the Grand Master as an anchor so I was able to read the codes off of the device on a nearby Grox Sentry who was preparing to teleport out. Worked like a charm."_

"_You used the Grand Master as an anchor?!"_

"_Relax, bird. There's legitimately no chance that even he could detect me. Besides, other than you and me, he's the only other sufficiently powerful psionic being within... quite a large distance. I had to use him as an anchor."_

"_Okay well... what now?"_

If Yagoda wasn't just a disembodied voice... she would have been smiling.

"_I'm sure you've figured it out by now."_

* * *

_**18 Hours Earlier**_

"There it is, coming from the east!"

"_You know what to do."_

The New Tharian Captain was now perched atop a residential building, one of the many scraping the sky in this district of Alyxia. The ground was a massive blur residing a very, very long way away. From this vantage point, Roku got a view of the entire capital city, but more specifically, the firefight that was now spiraling towards it.

Roku smiled as he observed his memories in third person.

The Cerion, Stekvan's personal spacecraft, was streaming through the air and towards the city, a trail of smoke marking its path. Multiple Grox raider vessels were in hot pursuit, doing everything in their power to knock the craft out of the sky.

It was only a matter of time until...

A colossal shock wave of bright blue light emanated from the tip of the Main Control Tower, making Roku instinctively turn his head for fear of being blinded. On cue, the Cerion began to plummet, arcing across the sky in one long and deadly trajectory towards the surface of Thar.

_So that's _what had happened. The Grox had used the Tesseract to amplify a Dark Energy electro-magnetic pulse._ Brilliant,_ by all accounts... but _deadly._

As the descending Cerion began to pass over Marks Memorial Garden, the familiar form of five figures appeared just below the spacecraft.

Now was his time to act.

"You sure you can still accurately pinpoint a teleport, Yagoda? What I'm about to do is still rather difficult."

"_I pinpointed you to an exact area within the radius of this entire universe, which, I might add, is quite a few powers of ten larger than anything you can comprehend. I think I can handle getting you into a spaceship. Without me this kind of teleport accuracy would be nearly impossible."_

Without any further argument, Roku pushed down on the teleport's execute button. After a familiar click and whir of energy... he had vanished.

* * *

The familiar sensation of exiting a teleport rift all but graced Roku. He slammed into the metal floor of the crashing Cerion.

_Emergency Protocol Alpha. All primary Cerion systems powerless. Evacuate immediately._

Sparks were flying everywhere, warning labels were flashing on every screen, and the faint sound of the Cerion's engines was clinging to what little life it had.

Roku grabbed hold of the central control panel as fast as he could, holding on as the Cerion began to spiral unpredictably. The shift in its orientation and the lack of the ship's gravitational simulators resulted in a rather unpleasant occurrence: Roku was now dangling from a piece of metallic railing on the edge of the console. The ship had spun sideways.

"Okay... here we go..." Roku grunted, using his hands to shimmy sideways across the railing, attempting to line himself up with the entrance to the central link chamber that stuck up from the center of the control panel.

This ship began to spiral again. Before Roku could account for the change, he found himself dangling towards the ceiling of Stekvan's vessel. The ship was now orientated in such a way that the central link chamber, the device that Stekvan had used to pilot the ship with his mind, was directly in front of Roku.

"Okay... one... two..." He threw his legs back in an effort to create a substantial amount of inertia. "_Three!_" Roku swung forwards and let go of the railing. The tharian slammed against the large pillar-like device in the center of the ship, using his talons to get a grip on the surface.

"Activate Cerion Vocal Interface," Roku shouted, desperately attempting to keep a hold on the central pillar as the ship continued to spin randomly in different directions.

_Cerion Vocal Interface Initiated._

"Reroute all remaining power to the main subspace engines and the central link chamber!" Roku commanded, his fingers beginning to slip a little.

_Task complete._

"Open and activate the central link chamber!" Roku shouted.

The large pillar Roku was clinging to split down the middle, the two halves moving in either direction and revealing a hollow interior filled with flowing blue energy taking the shape of a double helix. The tharian waited until the spacecraft took the correction orientation and then released his grip on the two exterior halves of the central link chamber. He fell forwards momentarily and then threw his arms and legs back outwards, slamming them against the walls of the chamber and holding himself in place once again.

"Close the central link chamber!"

The outsides of the link chamber began to move inwards once again. After a few moments Roku was fully enclosed inside the chamber and capable of releasing his hold on the outside walls.

The moment the chamber was sealed shut, the brightness of the flowing energy around him grew in intensity by an amount large enough to make his eyes impulsively close. And after that... something strange happened.

He was suddenly aware of not just his own body... but the exterior, interior, and complex workings of the entire ship around him. It... it was like he _became_ the ship.

"_So this is what Stekvan meant by complete control..."_

"_Exactly," _Yagoda added, _"We're going to need to funnel every last bit of the power into a single hyperspace jump."_

"_Yes, and you have to be exact. We can't orient ourselves after we jump... in any way. We only have enough power for one jump... and regardless... warp jumps are incredibly dangerous and risky to do within a planet's atmosphere anyways."_

"_You still have my ascended exactness... or whatever you wanna' call it. Are you ready?"_

"_Just go... we barely have any time left!"_

"_On my mark... 3... 2... 1... NOW!"_

The Cerion lit up with bright shining kronon energy... and then blazed away at an incomprehensible speed, straight up into Thar's sky and out into the aether.

* * *

_** 10 Hours Earlier**_

The Cerion touched down on the metallic surface of the Aeron Alliance flagship. The tractor beam powered down, its energy dissipating.

"AI?" stated a nearby Starlen officer.

_"Yes Officer Parago?"_

"Activate beaming teleport and target anyone within this ship with a valid life signal."

_"Done."_

A couple seconds of swirling light later and Roku Azero, one of the captains they had sent in as part of the diversive initial attack, was standing before them.

"Roku?!" Parago exclaimed.

"It's going to take a while to explain," the tharian responded swiftly, obviously in a hurry, "I need to speak to High General Aster."

"Sir I must inform you that we discovered your ship drifting through the Alliance rendezvous zone drained of all its power."

"Yeah um... I know. That's kind of what I was going for."

"You wanted your ship to be drained of power?"

"No! Of course not. I wanted to be in the Alliance rendezvous zone. But that's besides the point... I _really_ need to speak to General Aster... I'm running out of time." Roku was constantly checking the display on some sort of holographic cube he was holding in his right hand.

"Okay sir... right this way."

* * *

_**9 Hours Earlier**_

"Time travel?" Aster said, in a tone of complete disbelief.

"Interdimensional travel, really," Roku added smiling.

The two were in Aster's main meeting room within the Aeron Alliance flagship. It was colored with a standard gray metal but had flags lining the walls with the insignias of all the races who occupied places within the alliance, most of whom were former members of the Chimera Alliance. There were, however, quite a few new additions.

Roku and Aster were sitting across from each at one of the meeting tables.

"You have to trust me, Aster. Right now there is another version of me out there working his way up the Main Control Tower in an attempt to steal the Tesseract. Unfortunately for him he ends up ambushed and sent spiraling into another universe."

"And what do you need me to do, exactly?"

"First and foremost I needed your help to re-power the Cerion and allow its reconstruction matrix to take over. After that... I just need you to make the same grandiose entrance into the space around Thar that you had already planned. But really... I had something to give you..."

Roku reached out his arm and set it on the table before pressing a small button on the short range teleport strapped around his wrist. A small holographic display burst into existence above his arm. On it was a long and complex string of numbers and letters.

"The teleportation codes for the nullification field around Thar. With these you can beam a massive number of troops down to the surface of Thar before the Grox have a chance to counteract. Afterwards, of course, they'll realize what's happening and change the codes... but as of now..."

"That's brilliant," Aster said, smiling, "We needed a way to perform a legitimate evacuation of the planet... this is exactly what we were hoping for."

"Fantastic."

"Where are you off to now, then?"

"Once the ship is repaired... I'll be going to the Kimplemvora prison facility... I have a paradox I need to complete."

* * *

_**Present**_

"What exactly do you plan on doing, Roku? I am in a position of power so absolute that there is no rational course of action you are capable of taking," the Grand Master stated, his voice resounding across level 500 of the Main Control Tower.

"Of course there is. There always has been. And there always will be."

"Explain yourself."

Everyone else standing around Roku listened intently.

"I guarantee you, Agriath, that one of your subordinates is vying desperately for a chance to fight me right now, at this very moment. I wouldn't be surprised if she was watching this unfold through one of the Tower's security camera systems as we speak. I would be even less surprised if she was attempting to contact you, _right now, _using whatever wireless communication systems that you use. But I guarantee you, above all else, that this subordinate would give anything to fight and kill me... _right now._"

"Your point?"

"I want to make a deal with you."

"What makes you think I'll accept?"

"Hear the terms of the deal and you might change your mind."

The Grand Master smiled.

"Go on."

"A fight between me and Veara Eveler, to the death. You allow everyone else standing around me to depart in both the Tharak and the Cerion. They will not, however, leave the planet or attempt to warp out of the system... as I know for a fact that that's impossible."

The Grand Master smiled viciously.

"What does he mean?" Maruck asked, leaning over to Harko.

Harko took a deep gulp of saliva before responding, "It's what I thought... the collapse of the Quantum Core is warping the hyperspace fabric around the Pyles system. Jumping to hyperspace right now... would be suicide."

"You are correct, Roku."

"They will simply return to a position on the surface of Thar below and wait there for the duration of the battle," Roku continued, "You are allowed to depart wherever you wish. If I defeat Veara in this battle... you nor none of your army will pursue us for the duration of the time the Quantum Core has left. If Veara wins... you will have access to a consciousness within my mind with more extensive knowledge of the situation within Tetradon than even you currently have."

"What consciousness are you referring to?"

The color of Roku's irises suddenly shifted to a deep, almost glowing, purple.

"Me, Agriath," spoke a version of Roku's voice that was eerily different, "Remember me? Yagoda, the goddess who set your plans into motion. If Roku dies during this battle, this projection of my consciousness will remain trapped within him... as I'm sure you understand... and you will be fully capable of probing his mind, and my mind, for any information you desire."

"A wager with odds clearly stacked in my favor... why would you agree to something like this?"

Roku's eyes shifted back to their normal color.

"Because I have hope in something greater, Agriath. Something you will never have."

"Very poetic. I have but one additional request."

"What is that?"

"The Tesseract will be lowered into its receptacle in level 499 and placed within an impenetrable, self-generated shield."

"Let it be done," the tharian responded.

As soon as the statement was made, the Tesseract behind Roku began to descend, its radiating energy fading as it disappeared beneath a closing iris hatch at the center of level 500.

"I agree to your wager, Roku," the Grand Master stated, a strange and indiscernible expression on his face, "So of course... I suppose I should introduce your opponent."

A sudden flash of kronon energy later... and standing not even five feet in front of Roku, wearing an expression of malice that rivaled all those that came before it, was the Artlen he had been trying desperately to save... and the one who had burnt a path of destruction across the stars.

Veara Eveler.

This would not be easy, but it had to be done.

_"You ready?" _Yagoda asked Roku.

_"As I'll ever be."_


	39. The Fury of Archon

**THE TALE OF TESSERACT**

39: The Fury of Archon

* * *

_A/N: Prepare for the battle of your life._

_Also, check out VeeVeeTheRolepayer's page on deviantART. She has a whole bunch of new awesome artwork for this story, one of which is being used for the new cover photo. Definitely worth a look._

* * *

"And there he is..." Veara spat, her words blurring together with palpable sarcasm, "The paragon of heroism... the axiom of perfection... standing before me. You disgust me, Roku. Today is the end of your pathetic existence!"

Roku took a few steps closer to the Artlen.

"Not now. Not then. And not_ ever._ You know the terms of our engagement. A fight to the death."

Veara smiled and took a step closer to the tharian.

"Oh... no, no, no... you misunderstand. Those have _always_ been the terms of our engagements. You've simply failed to realize that until now."

Roku smiled back.

"Of course," Roku responded, taking a moment to pause, "But before we begin... there is still a small matter that needs to be taken care of, as per our agreement." Roku turned around to face the rest of his comrades who were still standing behind him. "I need you all to split up and take both the Cerion and the Tharak. Find a good spot to land somewhere else in the city below."

"Are you sure about this, Roku?" Stekvan asked, taking a step closer to the tharian, his voice indicating an absence of complete trust.

"Absolutely not," Roku proclaimed, a proud smile crossing his face, "But it's the best chance we have. You're going to have to trust me, Stekvan. You're _all_ going to have to trust me."

Roku's comrades looked uneasy.

"Please... don't worry about me."

"Um... Roku... ?" Harko stated, breaking the tense silence.

Roku turned to face the tharian engineer.

"Yeah, what is it Harko?"

Harko's response was simply an expression of confoundment. He stared back at Roku with wide eyes conveying '_Are you serious?'_ beyond any shadow of a doubt.

"What... what is it?"

"Um... well... kinda just wanted to say 'hi.' I mean... ya' know... I'm alive and all. And you... probably thought I was dead..."

"Oh yeah... yeah I knew that you were alive. You broadcasted our call to war, remember? Great job, by the way."

"Um... thanks. Yeah... But why didn't you say anything to me when we met up on Kimplemvora?"

Roku laughed.

"That... was one heck of a busy day. Technically that day is still happening... so um... yeah..."

"Yeah..."

"But its great to see that you're alive. You always had a knack for not dying."

"Coming from you? Seriously?"

"Just take the compliment, Harko. You're alive, and that's fantastic."

Veara's patience was suddenly worn of its last fiber.

"If you'd like... I could rectify that for you," the Artlen stated, the coldness of her voice making Roku turn all the way back around to face her again.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Don't test me, Roku."

"Why do you think I'm here, Veara?"

The Artlen's expression distorted into a snarl.

"Anyone else standing on this building whose name isn't Roku and doesn't disappear within the next 20 seconds will find themselves at the receiving end of my wrath."

"Have patience Veara. They _will _leave... just as soon as Dimitri leaves also."

"What did you just call the Grand Master?"

"Dimitri? Agriath? The Grand Master? What does it matter, Veara?"

"You misunderstand your place, tharian. You are no more significant than the single celled organisms crawling through primordial ooze. Behind me is the vessel of Lord Agriath. You are a tiny and insignificant thorn in his side. Today is your removal. Besides, what is there to stop us from just killing you now and stealing the information you claim to have?"

"Nothing... except the word of your Lord Agriath, given that he already agreed to the terms of our engagement."

To Roku's surprise, the Grand Master joined the conversation.

"Do not fret yourself, Veara," Dimitri stated, "I have faith that you will be successful."

"But why would you allow this pretentious captain to add unnecessary complexity to a situation you already had under control?"

The Grand Master waved away the comment before speaking again.

"The Quantum Core's energy modulators are far beyond recoverable. No-one standing on this planet at the current time has even the slightest chance of making it out of the system before complete annihilation. My previous attempt at killing the other member's of Roku's little gang was for my own pleasure. But now... I can _ensure_ access to Yagoda's consciousness. In case you didn't know, Veara, that's something that's rather hard to do if his atoms are scattered across 10 parsecs. Besides, why not have a little fun?"

Veara was silent for moment.

"Understood Lord Agriath."

"Good. I know I can count on you."

"Hold on Dimitri..." Roku stated, raising his eyebrows a little bit, "How exactly are _you_ going to escape the collapse of the Quantum Core?"

The Amahani smiled. "I'm not an idiot, Roku. I have my methods, but you will not be enlightened as to what they are."

"_Challenge accepted_," Harko muttered under his breath.

"WIth that, Veara, I must depart. As does the rest of Roku's gang."

"They're not my gang!"

It was the Grand Master's turn to raise his eyebrows.

"Fine! Everyone... I need you to do as he says. Don't worry, you'll see me again soon."

"Hopefully..." Chase said, with a lack of confidence.

"Come on," Stekvan stated gesturing towards the two spacecraft, "Like we were before. Chase and Cathy with me... Maruck and Arcadia with Harko. I'll direct us towards a location to land."

After a moment of hesitation, the rest of Roku's comrades began to shuffle towards their designated positions. Both the Cerion and the Tharak's beaming teleports began to light up with kronon energy, phasing the captains one by one into the respectives ships.

Harko, who was the last to disappear into the Tharak, turned around for a moment to face his nearly-lost friend.

"Do me a favor Roku. Don't die."

"I'll try."

The tharian engineer smiled before disappearing in one final swirling vortex of kronon energy. Moments later, the Tharak and Cerion engines blasted into life and moved the two spacecrafts away from level 500 of the tower. They descended in unison downwards and outwards towards an unseen destination. The Cerion seemed to be in the lead. Roku watched them until they disappeared from his field of view.

A short silence followed.

"You will destroy him, Veara, I have complete faith in you," the Grand Master spoke, "When you're done, meet me at the rendezvous. Be sure to bring his body with you."

"Understood, Grand Master."

"Very good."

Following this conversation, another shifting field of kronon engulfed Dimitri's entire vessel. Mere seconds later, and the entire structure, along with its occupants, was gone.

But that wasn't all. All around the Main Control Tower, on the edges of Alyxia's central urban complex, more pre-teleport energy was beginning to amalgamate in thirteen separate locations... all of them spaced in a near perfect circle around the tower itself.

"The Dark Energy spires..." Roku stated, in realization.

"Of course, Roku," Veara retorted, "Did you think we would just leave them here to be disintegrated?"

Just like the Grand Master, the thirteen dark energy generating structures phased out of their current location, being beamed up to an unknown place for safe-keeping.

"Where have they gone, Veara?"

"The same place that me and your lifeless corpse will be departing to very shortly."

"Oh... now isn't that a threat. I'd like to see you try and make that happen."

Veara laughed, stepping closer to the tharian. They were now no more than 3 feet apart, standing about halfway between the center and the edge of level 500. The artlen leaned in close, a smirk painted all across her facial features.

"Wish granted, Roku."

"_JUMP BACK!" _ Yagoda screamed from within Roku's mind.

Roku compiled, using a thrust of his legs and a single powerful beat of his wings to vault himself backwards and away from Veara. The artlen had launched herself forwards as well, swiping her mechanical clawed arm horizontally through the air, missing Roku's chest by mere inches. As Veara's claw traced a path through the air it left a vapor trail of archon energy. When it came to a stop, the claw continued to glow a bright red.

Roku's talons made a scraping noise as they worked against friction to bring Roku's body to a halt a little over 10 feet away from the artlen.

"You're still fast," Veara said, smiling as she relaxed her pose, "But you will _never_ be fast enough."

The Artlen began to dash towards Roku, readying her archon-laced mechanical claw once again.

"Watch me."

Roku took off towards Veara.

Right at the center of Tower's apex, where they would have collided, Roku jumped into the air, extending his wings and flipping over the artlen's head. Right as Roku began to descend back towards the ground, this time head-first, he extended one of his arms, channeling his alminar ability at Veara's back.

The result was almost instantaneous. A blast of psionic energy sent Veara flying forwards and across the tower, as if she had been slammed in the back by something moving incredibly fast.

Roku completed his flip, landing on his talons, whilst Veara used her own claws in an attempt to slow herself down. As she neared the edge of the tower, she threw down her mechanical claws, digging them deep into the metallic surface of level 500. The archon present began to shine a blindingly bright red, burning away at the metal like molten magma. This act left a scorched trail, but successfully slowed Veara to a stop. She stood back up, once again standing a good distance away from Roku.

"You are being aided by the traitorous ascended one..." Veara said, taking deep breaths, "You have more power than what is natural."

"And you are being aided by a fragment of Agriath... please, explain to me the difference," Roku responded, smiling, "After all, it shouldn't intimidate you, should it? I mean, you _are_ the great and powerful Narahgeenah, progenitor of the sin of the artlen race. Surely a little extra psionic capability given by Yagoda's projection wouldn't worry you."

"I AM NOT NARAHGEENAH!" Veara proclaimed at the top of her lungs, "I am Veara Eveler! Narahgeenah is the energy of Agriath which gives me strength. He brought out the part of me worthy of portrayal, and suppressed that which would weaken me."

"NO HE DID NOT!" Roku shouted, his patience lost, "He stole all of your innocence and cast everything that was good about you into a prison of your own mind. Narahgeenah may not be controlling you like a puppet, but he sure as hell isn't giving you strength. He's manipulating you in every sense of the word!"

"LIAR!"

Without warning, Veara threw both of her arms out to the side, closing her eyes as she did so. Directly following this was the ear-splitting sound of an archon explosion emanating from Veara's body - one that generated a shockwave powerful enough to knock Roku off of his feet and send him hurtling backwards a short distance before he could lock himself back onto the metallic surface. Within an instant a massive cloud of dark red substance blasted out of the void and into existence around the corrupted Artlen. It was forming a hurricane-like vortex around Veara, slowly pulling inwards over the course of a couple of seconds. When this display of power was done, vision of the artlen was restored, revealing that she now was surrounded by an intimidating aura of archon energy. It took the form of a dark blazing fire all across the surface of Veara's skin, save for her face, with no apparent adverse effects. A lighter hazy fire extended a short distance outwards from Veara and up above her, swaying with the wind.

"Narahgeenah gives me strength! More strength than you could ever dream of! Far more strength than your puny Yagoda could ever wish for!"

"_I doubt that missy," _ Yagoda stated in Roku's mind, obviously annoyed.

"This is not you, Veara!" Roku shouted, desperately trying to convey the truth.

"YES IT IS!"

The artlen launched herself forwards once again, leaving a trail of dissipating archon fire in her wake. After crossing half the distance between herself and Roku, she threw back her mechanical arm and in quick motion, causing a deep red plasma blade to erupt out of her wrist. With no further consideration, she threw her arm back forwards, in a powerful attempt to plunge the blade deep into Roku's chest.

'Attempt' being the key word.

Veara's blade collided with the hilt of Roku's biorod. The staff of life was creating a radiating aura of its own, one that visibility pushed away the cloud of archon around it. The two combatants were locked in this position.

"You think that puny replica has a chance against me? The biorod copies had their age of glory. But now... it is the age of Agriath!"

"Ya' think?"

Roku thrust his arms forwards, sending Veara's blade up and off the staff of life. In a moment of confusion, he quickly spun the biorod back around, thrusting the top of the staff, which shone with its glowing life core, at Veara's chest. An explosion of light sent the archon-ridden Veara toppling backwards and across the metal surface.

The artlen rolled over, placing herself on her stomach, and raised her head to look directly at Roku, who was still standing where he had been before. An expression of rage burst into life on Veara's face. Coupled with a scream of fury, Veara slammed both of her hands, mechanical and organic, against the metal surface beneath her.

Roku watched with interest as spikes of archon crystal erupted from the ground on all sides of Veara's body. These spikes were being _generated_ purely from the archon energy of Narahgeenah. Knowing what was coming, Roku crouched down quickly and then launched himself up into the air, extending his wings as he did so.

Right on cue, several archon spikes jutted up out of the ground directly underneath Roku's body. The crystals continued to grow in size, jutting up higher and spawning more crystals in tangents like branches on a tree, forcing Roku to flap his wings and climb higher. He knew from experience that one touch to those crystals would be an incredibly painful experience.

Before they could grow any higher, Roku grabbed tightly ahold of the Biorod, pointing the life core downwards. He then pulled his wings in and fell, changing his position so the staff hit the crystals first. Upon impact the archon formation immediately began to disintegrate, retreating from the energy of the staff as fast as possible. By the time Roku landed back on the surface of level 500, the crystal structure had been completely shattered and disintegrated, with fragments strewn across metallic ground. After a few seconds, these fragments dissolved.

By this point Veara had gotten back to her feet.

"Anything else, Veara?"

"Plenty. I possess a never ending supply of lethal attacks."

"Well I should certainly hope so, given that none of whatever you've done so far has managed to even harm me."

Veara let out another scream of anger, propelling herself back towards Roku. After only a couple of seconds of running, she brought herself to a stop.

The Tower beneath them was shaking. Veara took a couple of steps back in shock.

The sound of a distant explosion was enough to enlighten Roku as to what had happened. Some rogue vessel, possibly an Alliance or a Grox spacecraft, had just crashed into the Main Control Tower. The crash was a good distance away, probably around level 300, but it was doing what Roku had feared.

"Oh no..." Roku muttered, "The Grand Master said that the energy modulators were far beyond recoverable. The Tower _should _be impenetrable... we shouldn't feel any residual vibration this far up... unless... unless you disabled the tower's structural support shielding!"

"What does it matter?" Veara exclaimed, "It was necessary to send the Quantum Core into overload."

"Yes, but..."

**BAM.**

Interrupting their conversation was the sudden eruption of a massive column of energy through the center of the tower's apex, directly through where the Tesseract used to be situated, forming a barrier between Roku and Veara. The energy lit up the area around them with a shining blue light, and emitted a loud and powerful noise similar to the rushing wind of a powerful hurricane.

"IT MATTERS BECAUSE WITH THE COLLAPSE OF THE QUANTUM CORE THE ENERGY MODULATORS DIRECTLY BELOW US ARE EXTREMELY UNSTABLE. IT ONLY NEEDED ONE MORE PUSH... ONE MORE STRAW TO BREAK THE TOWER'S BACK!" Roku shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to throw his voice across to Veara, "THIS IS YOUR DOING, VEARA!"

Roku watched as the tritium surface underneath him began to crack, emanating outwards from the wound created by the initial column of energy.

_"This... isn't good..." _Roku thought.

Acting on instinct, the tharian captain turned around and ran towards the edge of level 500. Upon reaching it, he extended his wings and jumped. He knew he only had a couple more seconds...

**BOOM.**

The shockwave caught up with him almost immediately. The column of exotic energy that was flowing out of the top of the Tower had expanded, causing the entirety of level 500 to be ripped apart in a swift expansion of lethal energy.

Before Roku could fully spin around to view the damage caused by this cataclysm, he felt something grab firmly onto his leg. Looking down, he found Veara, having apparently sprinted across the Tower and jumped to grab ahold of him.

"What are you doing?!" Roku exclaimed, having to beat his wings more than normal to compensate for the extra weight, causing him to slowly descend.

"What does it look like?!" Veara shouted in response.

Roku quickly threw his leg forwards. Using his telekinetic ability, he forced Veara to release her grip, sending her flying back towards the exterior wall of the Main Control Tower.

Whilst she was flying through the air, the energy modulator continued to collapse, with large cracks working their way down the sides of level 499, chunks of metal breaking off and falling towards the city below. Veara's body was sent hurtling through one of these openings, disappearing into Main Control Tower's soon-to-be exterior.

_"You need to follower her, Roku," _Yagoda said, _"You know what we came here to do."_

_ "Yes... of course."_

Roku glided towards the opening in level 499, dodging a falling chunk of metal as he did so, and placing the Biorod against the back of his armor, where a small magnetic plate held it in place. After he passed through metallic schism in the side of the Main Control Tower, he found the familiar sight of level 499's inter-connection chamber... the central complex for information transfer within the empire.

Except it was being obliterated.

The Energy Modulator, which normally sat at the top of the chamber, between 499 and 500, was falling apart. Large cracks were appearing across the normally unbreakable tritium metal. Roku carefully descended towards the bottom of the chamber, landing on one of the terraced platforms that descended like a circular staircase towards the beam of energy in the middle of level 499. The beam emanated from the Quantum Core at the base of the tower. Normally it would pass through this final level and into the Dark Energy Converter and Energy Modulator at the top of this chamber, where its power would be harnessed within the tower's broadcast system.

But now...

The Energy Modulator was no more. Instead of passing into a receptacle at the top of the chamber, the beam of dark energy blazed directly out of an opening at the top of the chamber, where level 500 used to be situated, and up into the sky. It wouldn't be long before that caused some sort of atmospheric disturbance.

On top of all that, everything was _still_ collapsing. The large diamond-shaped windows that were spaced all around the outside walls of the chamber were almost all completely shattered, else they were heavily damaged. The support columns between each window were beginning to crumble. The structural integrity of this entire area was compromised. Large chunks of metal continued to fall from far above Roku. Pieces of the Energy Modulator, large tritium support beams, and a whole host of other items incapable of being named due to the heavy damaged they sustained - no doubt they were part of the modulator in some way - dropped from above. It wouldn't be long before this entirety of level 499 crumbled completely.

But he needed to find Veara.

Roku's eyes were suddenly drawn to something else. At the center of the chamber, hovering within Dark Energy beam and within a kronon shield of its own creation, was the Tesseract... just like the Grand Master had requested.

Oh how things sometimes things just work out...

Roku had barely taken three step towards it when...

_"Duck!" _ Yagoda exclaimed.

Roku complied, sensing Veara's lethal archon claw trace through the air directly above his head, cutting a few pieces of his hair and missing him by millimeters. Before the artlen could retaliate, Roku spun his entire body around, extending one of his legs and slamming it into Veara's shins, knocking her off balance and sending her toppling to the ground. Roku then took advantage of his own telekinesis to launch himself backwards and away from Veara, regaining a fighting stance whilst Veara did the same.

"I've had enough of this Roku!"

The corrupted artlen pounced back towards Roku, claws at the ready. This time Roku readied his arms, stopping Veara's blows with several expertly timed blocks. After a few moments of hand-to-hand combat, Veara grabbed hold of both of Roku's wrists at the same time, using them as a mechanism by which to pull herself up. Once in the air, she placed her feet on Roku's chest, crouched down, and then launched herself off of his body.

Roku's was shocked.

The Artlen went flying a good 20 feet away, doing a backflip and landing safely on her feet.

_"Why did she just...?" _Roku thought, confused.

Then... it hit him.

Almost literally.

A massively large chunk of the metal-plated ceiling had just broken off and was hurtling towards Roku's location. So large, in fact, that he had little-to-no chance of running or flying out of its shadow before it completely crushed him.

He only had one choice.

_"This better work!"_

Roku extended both of his arms towards the hurtling death sentence and focused all of his psionic might.

_"Please... please work!"_

**WHAM.**

The chunk of ceiling, easily weighing more than a couple of tons, collided with Roku's telekinetic manipulation field. The force was so powerful that it caused Roku's knees to give way, sending the tharian tumbling towards the ground. He desperately continued to generate the telekinetic field, holding the chunk of ceiling in place with all of his might - an act that was requiring more effort than anything Roku had experienced before. All of his mind... all of his being, was channeling its energy into keeping this chunk of ceiling afloat. He was now lying, back-first on one of the terraced platforms, with his arms extended in a desperate attempt to keep himself alive.

And his strength was starting to give way.

Slowly but surely, the extreme weight of the metallic ceiling construction was overcoming Roku's psionic potency, pushing itself ever-closer to Roku's body.

A quick glance to the side revealed that Veara was watching this entire scene unfold with an expression of glee on her face. To her... it was like a show.

_"No... come on! It can't end like this!"_

Roku continued to push... but to no avail. He wasn't strong enough to hold up the massive chunk of ceiling.

Then... something snapped within him.

An untapped reservoir of energy was burst open, flooding Roku's entire being.

_"I can't possibly let you perish, Roku Azero," _Yagoda said from within Roku's mind, _"But you're going to have to trust me more than you have before. Allow my psionic presence to become one with your telekinetic force. My ascendent energy should give you the strength to overcome this."_

Roku complied, lowering some of the psionic blocks he had set up against Yagoda's consciousness. Right he did so, he felt a surge of energy run through his entire body, starting in his head, shooting down his spinal cord and then out to all of his limbs. All of the sudden he felt his senses grow ten-fold. Beyond lack of a better description, Roku felt far more _aware _of the situation around him.

But above all else... he felt far _stronger._

Roku expelled a blood-curdling shout from the depths of his lungs, amalgamating all of his new-found strength into one telekinetic motion - throwing both of his arms out to the side and away from each other.

It worked.

The metal ceiling chunk _split _down the middle, ripping apart within seconds to form two separate chunks. Without further consideration, Roku tossed the two chunks aside, sending them hurtling across the terraces and skidding to a halt.

Roku vaulted himself back to his feet, standing tall and facing Veara once more.

"Impossible..." the Artlen murmured, in shock.

No longer facing an immediate death threat, Roku was suddenly aware of a faint burning sensation across the top of his face. He looked around, finding another fallen chunk of the ceiling nearby, one that was composed of a metallic surface polished enough to be partially reflective. On it... he saw his face.

His eyes were no longer the normal tint of brown he was used to.

His irises were a radiating purple... the energy of Yagoda.

But it didn't end there. All across the top portion of his face, strange lines, organized into some sort of pattern, etched their way across Roku's orange skin. All of them started at Roku's eyes, and then moved erratically across his upper cheek, lower forehead, and temples, in a manner that resembled some form of traditional tribal markings. There was at least 4 of these lines on both sides of Roku's face, and they glowed with the same deep purple that now occupied Roku's irises. It looked as if the ascendent energy of Yagoda was radiating outwards from Roku's eyes and spreading across his face.

By this point the burning had died down completely.

_"A side effect of amplifying my energy. My psionic power has moved to a more external and immediately present position, similar to what Veara with Narahgeenah earlier," _Yagoda explained,_ "But you have to admit... it looks kind of cool."_

_ "I don't have to admit anything, Yagoda."_

There was no longer time for internal bantering. The Energy Modulator, not to mention the entire ceiling, was continuing to collapse. Two more collapsing chunks of the metal-plated ceiling were falling towards Veara and Roku.

Without skipping a beat, Roku grabbed hold of both of them with his new-found telekinetic power. Veara watched as Roku's eyes shone a bright purple as he did so. Following his arms motion, the chunks began to spin around in the air above him.

"Try this on for size," Roku said, smiling.

After clapping his hands together above his head, the two ceiling chunks smashed into each other directly above Roku, locking in place and becoming one chunk of debris. He then brought his hands swiftly downwards, sending the massive chunk of metal and shrapnel flying towards Veara.

The artlen warrior launched herself to the left, dodge-rolling out of the way of the hurtling mass of destruction, which subsequently collided with the many terraces behind her, obliterating all of the equipment and a good portion of the terraces themselves.

"I will not have this!" Veara screamed, "You will die today!"

Veara dashed towards the tharian on all-fours, accelerating faster than Roku had ever seen her do before. She pounced into the air, archon claws at the ready.

Roku thrust his left arm directly at Veara, palm facing outwards. A shockwave of visible psionic disturbance emanated from Roku's hand. It was like the air was being distorted... like it had been turned to water. The shockwave impacted Veara square on the chest, and almost immediately stopped all of her forward momentum, thrusting her in the opposite direction.

After doing a flip in mid-air, she did, of course, manage to land back on her feet.

All the while the ceiling above them was continuing to collapse, with chunks falling on the terraced portions of the chamber and others simply falling off of the side of the Tower itself. After being subjected to so much abuse, the terraced structure of the chamber was almost completely destroyed. On top of that, the large tritium supports between each of the large windows on all sides of the chambers were holding on their last fiber.

And now was the time for their collapse.

It happened almost all at once. Three of the support columns crumbled, and like a chain reaction, the rest of them followed. The entire energy modulator... the entirety of the ceiling above them, was no longer being held up by _anything._

The rest of the ceiling collapsed... all at once.

Veara and Roku froze, suddenly aware of what was happening.

Roku took a deep breath, and readied his stance.

He knew that after such heavy damage, the structural integrity of everything between level 499 and 500 was severely compromised, some parts of it just gone. He had a chance. There was something that he could do.

_This had to work._

He brought both of his hands down by his side, charging all of psionic might. He could feel the air distorting around him... the fundamental forces of the universe bending at his will.

This was true telekinesis - more powerful than anything he had used before.

Roku shouted once again, thrusting both of his arms upward in one dramatic display of power. Blasting out of Roku's hands was a expanding columns of psionic disturbance, blazing outwards like the shockwave from an explosion. The beam impacted the falling structure, spreading across its surface in seconds.

And like glass... it _shattered._

The remnants of the Energy Modulator were torn into hundreds of pieces, all of them scattered outwards in every direction. Most of the piece flew outwards and off of the Tower, starting their long journey towards the surface of Thar. The rest of the fragments fell down and towards level 499 like rain.

Before any of the chunks could find a home on top of either Roku or Veara, Roku used his amplified telekenesis to grab hold of all of the chunks aimed at their general location, pushing them aside with apparent ease.

It worked.

The remaining pieces impacted the surface of level 499, causing the remnants of the terraced structure to fully give way, completely obliterating any of the chambers unique architecture. The terrace that Veara and Roku were standing collapsed as well, whatever supports that were placed under it breaking under the massive stress. Both combatants fell out of each others vision.

The collapse was finally over... the sound of breaking metal finally dying down. The Energy Modulator was gone... as was almost all of level 499. The inter-commerce chamber was no more.

All that remained was a single flat surface extending outwards the radius of the chamber. It was covered in large chunks of metal-plating, tritium supports, and a plethora of other debris. On the edges of this newly-created "top" of the Main Control Tower were the broken support columns that once held up the Modulator and level 500. Everything above them... was now completely gone.

The beam of dark energy extending out of the center of the Tower was breaking and arching into the clouds above like lightning. The clouds themselves were becoming darker, slowly blocking out the star Pyles. The leaking energy from the Quantum Core was disturbing the atmosphere and _creating_ a storm.

Roku got back to his feet, realizing that he could no longer see Veara, as a gigantic chunk of metal stood between him and where he remembered last observing her position. The collapse of the modulator had created a nearly impossible maze of debris.

_He _could solve that.

Upon command by Roku's tesseract-given and ascendent-enhanced ability... the debris around him began to lift off the ground. One by one, extending in a circle outwards from Roku's position, the many pieces of metal began to lift up into the air, raising higher and higher. The shear number of individually controlled pieces was forcing Roku to put forth far more concentration than he had done on anything previously.

He could feel the markings on his face increase in temperature as he did so. Yagoda's energy was exuding from his very aura.

After only a couple of moments, Roku had successfully placed under his psionic control nearly _all_ of the debris that were once littered across the surface of level 499. He then began to separate them, moving them outwards and away from positions hovering above the remaining surface below him. Roku's arms were now fully extended, his eyes glowing a bright purple.

The debris were now floating in formation similar to a hollow cylinder with no top... the many fragments of the Tower's architecture forming a wall around the edges of the Tower. Not wanting to expend all of his concentration and energy, Roku dropped more than half of the debris, allowing them to fall towards the distant ground below. Once he had a manageable amount of metallic items under his control, he placed them in an artificial orbit around the remnants of level 499, forming a spinning cocoon of shattered fragments of the Tower.

That's when he found Veara.

She was standing near the center of the chamber's remnants, only a couple of feet away from the column of dark energy that was arcing into the sky.

Her body was still covered in the foreboding archon fire, and her expression of pure malice was anything but subsided.

_"You're almost there, Roku," _Yagoda said, _"Keep going! I can sense the piece of me within her is gaining strength."_

* * *

"What in the name of sanity is happening up there?!" Chase exclaimed, watching the top of the Main Control collapse in a display of energy.

The rest of Roku's comrades had found a place to position their spacecraft on the top of a nearby residential building, high enough that they could view the destruction of the energy modulator.

From their vantage point, they saw a large storm brewing just above the tip of the tower, lightning arcing into different parts of the Tower's metal surface. They also watched as a large amount of the previously gravity-abiding debris began to circle around the apex of the Tower like rings around a gas giant, controlled by an unseen force.

"Is that... _Roku_ doing that?" Maruck asked, surprised.

"It has to be..." Arcadia said, "But... but how could he get so much stronger?"

"Yagoda..." Stekvan muttered under his breath.

* * *

"What could you possibly hope to accomplish, Roku?" Veara asked, watching the tharian as he manipulated the spinning shell of debris.

"I currently have under my control over a hundred pieces of shrapnel and debris, all ready to be thrown directly at you. I don't think this is the best time for you to be playing games with me, Veara!"

"Is that so? I've come learn that that _all the time _is the best time to play games with you."

Veara smiled viciously.

Roku took a few deep breaths before responding.

"I have seen the true Veara," the tharian said, far more calmly than anything previously, "She is kind and caring. She is honest and happy. I watched as she lost her heart to the malice of Narahgeenah. But I know that hope is not lost. I figured it out, Veara. _You_ were the one who saved us from the Grand Master's attempt to incinerate us. And _you_ are still capable of breaking free."

Veara was silent, her face expressionless.

And then...

"WRONG!"

**BANG.**

Following this scream was another massive expansion of archon energy, this time far more than what Roku could compensate for. The dark fire around Veara blasted outwards, knocking all of the swirling debris out of Roku's grip, causing them to topple away and towards the surface of Thar. Roku lost his balance for a moment, but maintained a standing position.

Roku's eyes were wide when he looked back at Veara.

The fire on her skin was now significantly more pronounced, radiating a heat that Roku could feel from the distance he stood at. Her coat and skin were now a shade of incredibly dark red, with her stripes shining a foreboding luminescence.

"I AM VEARA EVELER. YOU, NOR ANY FORCE IN THIS UNIVERSE CAN POSSIBLY HOPE TO CHANGE THAT!"

Veara dashed forwards, with a speed so absurd that she vanished into a blur as she did so. This was Narahgeenah's influence at its most powerful.

It's most deadly.

Roku didn't have any time to respond. The next thing he knew Veara's fiery mechanical claw was gripping Roku's neck. The burning sensation of the fire was immediately present.

Not even a second later, he was slammed against the cold metal of the Main Control Tower with a force so massive that he felt multiple bones break on contact. Veara had just destroyed his personal shield in one move.

The heat of dark archon fire was nearly unbearable. He could feel the skin burn where Veara was grabbing him whilst the rest of his body screamed for an escape.

It didn't come.

Veara picked Roku back up by the neck and threw him with incredible might across the remnants of level 499. He skidded to a halt. Before he could even consider getting back up. Veara had landed back on top of him, both of her claws digging into his wings.

It was a pain unlike anything Roku had experience before.

_"HOW WAS THIS EVER PART OF THE PLAN?!" _Roku screamed to Yagoda.

_"DON'T ACT LIKE I CAN'T FEEL THIS AS WELL, ROKU! We're almost there, hold out for just a little bit longer!"_

Roku felt the archon poison in Veara's claw dig deep into his wings. He was starting to feel light-headed. The world was blurring.

"THIS IS YOUR END, ROKU!" Veara exclaimed.

Narahgeenah had made Veara far more powerful than anything Roku or Yagoda could compensate for. She was a blur of pure and unbridled fury.

The fury of archon.

Veara picked up Roku once more, breathing heavily as she did so. Roku could feel nothing in either of his wings. He no longer had any control. All of his energy was draining. His entire body had become weak and nearly limp.

It was moments later that Roku came to terms with what was happening. Veara was now dangling Roku's body over the edge of the Tower. Without functional wings... he was as good as dead.

"Goodbye, Roku... It was nice knowing you..."

A long smile crossed the artlen's face.

She was truly happy.

Hope was lost...

Roku felt Yagoda's presence light up.

_"Now!" _the deity screamed.

* * *

Deep within an expansive void... there was a lone artlen.

She sat there, crying.

Time meant nothing in this place.

This was the void carved out by Narahgeenah. This was the prison for all the was true.

She knew not how long she had been trapped.

She only knew she was nearly hopeless to escape.

_"Veara..." _echoed a voice from the distance.

_"Who..." _the artlen said, standing up on the invisible surface and spinning around to try and find the source of the voice, _"Who are you?"_

_ "Someone who's been with you longer than Narahgeenah. Someone who's been waiting and building up strength. Hiding and preparing for a moment of surprise."_

_ "What do you mean...?"_

_ "This is your time, Veara. At long last. Roku has enraged the fragment of Agriath within you, forcing its power to the surface of your mind. I have taken my place where he left an opening. I have gained a foothold using the potential energy I built up over 30,000 years. And now... I give you that foothold."_

A strange purple light began to engulf the artlen. Within moments, she felt stronger, the air of worry that had surrounded her for so long was dissipating.

_"I cannot free you on my own. You have to be the one to break out, but I will help you every step of the way."_

Veara turned her head upwards within the expansive void, and closed her eyes for a moment. She felt it now... a fiery passion igniting within her soul. She had the power to escape.

_"Time to end this."_

She was now flying. Flying fast, far, and directly upwards. Physics meant nothing within her mind. This was her consciousness, and she was going to take it back.

As she flew higher and higher, she felt herself regaining control and power. She was beginning to feel her arms... her legs... her face... every part of her body. Her senses were returning. The void was beginning to fade.

_Reality_ was returning.

**NO!**

The dark voice of Narahgeenah, the renegade fragment of Agriath, was enough to block Veara's prowess.

**You will proceed no further!**

It was like a barrier of energy. A wall. She couldn't pass it. She couldn't break it. She couldn't force the dark consciousness out of her. Was hope going to be lost this quickly?

_"Listen to the energies of the universe around you... Veara. Hear them chant," _the comforting voice said, "_Those are the voices of the ascended ones. This is their anthem. I'm giving it to you. Can you feel it? It's in your soul. It's in everyone's souls. You now know the words, say them with all of your passion!"_

Veara felt it. Words that she now knew. Powerful words. Words containing the light of creation. The came spiralling out of her mouth as if she had known them all her life.

**"The Cycle comes Round**

**Reality is here**

**The Void is no more**

**I no longer have Fear**

**The greatness of Love**

**Makes all darkness fall through**

**Be gone spawn of death**

**Behold the light of Anu!"**

It worked.

* * *

Roku's senses were fading. His life was slipping out of his reach... the world going dark.

"You... will... _die!_" Veara proclaimed, her voice followed by a dark echo.

The artlen smiled, and Roku felt her grip beginning to loosen. He slipped a couple of inches. This was the end.

Then Veara's expression changed. Her confidence was almost immediately wiped away.

"Wait... _what?_" Veara said, sounding confused.

_"It's working!"_ Yagoda exclaimed within Roku's mind.

"NO! YOU WILL PROCEEDED NO FURTHER!" Veara screamed, her entire body trembling, "No... no... impossible... I am Veara! I am the truth! I am everything! I am... not... I am not... I will never be... No... no... NO!"

Veara slammed her eyes shut. Moments later, she froze. The archon fire continued to lick around Veara's skin, but her physical form was as solid as a statue.

Then... her eyes opened back up...

Her muscles relaxed.

Her irises were no longer a fiery deep red. They were pink.

"Arc... ca.. cadia?" Veara questioned, her voice trembling, "What am I... How did I...?"

Then her eyes snapped shut again.

"NO! NO MORE!"

In an abrupt move, Veara unceremoniously pulled Roku's body back and away from the edge of the Tower, tossing him to safety back onto the remnants of level 499.

"YOU WILL NOT... NO!"

Veara was flailing around, her hands gripping her head firmly.

"THIRTY THOUSANDS YEARS WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER! I GAVE YOU GLORY!

I GAVE YOU POWER! I AM THE TRUE VEARA! YOU ARE MERELY A SHADOW OF YOURSELF!"

Roku could barely move. He was badly injured. There's was only one thing that could give

hope of surviving right now. Roku reached behind to the biorod mounted to his back, grasping the hilt firmly with his left hand.

"YOU CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT ME!" Veara continued to scream.

Roku slammed that staff of life down onto the metal beneath him, the action requiring substantial energy from his fading supply of strength. He took multiple deep breaths, trying desperately to hold on to consciousness.

"YOUR SERVITUDE IS IRREVOCABLE, MORTAL! WHAT CHANCE DO YOU HAVE?!"

The radiating energy from the staff began to spread through Roku's arm. The lethal archon poison that was coursing through Roku's veins dissolved instantly upon contact with the biorod's energy. His senses were returning. The blurring of the world subsided. He was still badly injured, with a couple of ribs that we're likely broken, completely non-functional wings, and a plethora of other bruises... but he was no longer on the brink of death.

Roku used his now functional arms and legs to prop himself up, slowly but surely returning to a standing position with the staff as a support.

"Fight it, Veara!" Roku shouted, bringing forth all of his remaining strength.

"SILENCE!" Veara screamed, turning back around to face the tharian.

Pure contempt was plastered across her face, and as she attempted to ready her archon blade... she froze.

"Never..." she said, in tone of voice far calmer.

Roku watched in awe as Veara's voice bounced back and forth, echoing a conversation between two separate entities occupying the same body.

"STOP THIS AT ONCE!"

"Absolutely not! This is it, Narahgeenah... This is _my _time!"

"IF YOU ABANDON ME, YOU WILL BE SHOWN NO MERCY WHEN AGRIATH CONQUERS ALL THAT IS RIGHTFULLY HIS!"

"Nobody will be shown mercy! Nobody ever has, and nobody ever will."

"LIES!"

Veara began to move around again, her whole body shaking violently.

"No, Narahgeenah! Agriath will not spare _anyone._ I have been shown the truth. There is something else... something far greater. Another name that echoes across the stars... obscured by our own conflicts and greed. Obscured by archon... and by the majesty of time itself. But it is _still _there, waiting for its time to strike. And while Agirath may pretend otherwise... while he may attempt to belittle its strength... it is _still there_."

"WHAT IS?!"

"THE LIGHT OF _ANU_!"

Veara's entire body seemed to freeze even more than before.

"_Impossible!" _the dark Veara exclaimed, _"You cannot know that name!"_

"I do. And it is through it's power, the name of Agirath's ancient and primordial enemy, that I cast away your evil, Narahgeenah!"

"I WILL STAY WITHIN YOUR SOUL TILL THE END OF TIME!"

"NEVERMORE, SPAWN OF DEATH. _BE GONE!"_

Those last phrases of pure adamant proclamation were the final step.

That was it.

A final explosion of archon blasted outwards from Veara's body. Following that... was something truly amazing.

Roku watched as expanding tendrils of darkness blasted out and upwards from multiple locations on Veara's body, specifically her eyes and mouth. These tendrils sped out of Veara's body in a violent and random manner, coalescing into a cloud of archon above Veara. Even as she flailed around, it was too late for the entity occupying her.

** "I WILL NOT ALLOW... NO...!"**

It took only a couple more seconds before all of Narahgeenah's dark presence was forced out of Veara's body. A final expansion of archon signaled the end of Narahgeenah's removal.

Veara stood there, eyes wide and expressionless. Then... she fell forwards.

Roku mustered the rest of his energy, to run the distance between him and the artlen, catching her in his arms just before she could slam face-first into the metal of the Control Tower. Roku was now one his knees, turning over the limp artlen in his arms so that they were face to face.

"Veara...? Can you hear me?" Roku asked, hesitantly looking towards the artlen's closed eyes. The artlen groaned in response, but made no further indication of consciousness.

She was alive. They had succeeded.

_"Congratulations, Roku," _Yagoda said, _"But I fear your mission is not yet over."_

"Ar... Arcadia? Is that you?" came a voice so sweet and soft that it almost took Roku off guard.

This was a miracle. He really had saved her.

Roku smiled.

"I wish it was that simple. It's a long... _long_ story, Veara."

The cloud of archon darkness now hovering above the two of them was distorting and shaking, making loud noises akin to lightning strikes. As it did so, the cloud continued to condense, amalgamating its mass at a central point.

Something was wrong.

**"My time is not yet up, Azero."**

A voice was emanating from the core of the archon cloud... a voice so powerful and resonant that it seemed to come from everywhere at once.

**"But I fear the same may not be said for you."**

_"Exactly as you predicted," _Roku said within his mind.

_"Was there ever any doubt? But don't fret, we're almost done,"_ the deity responded.

The artlen in Roku's arms groaned again, shifting a little bit. Looking back towards her, he realized that her eyes were now wide open, with an expression of visible confusion as to what was going on.

Veara looked confused for a moment, her re-acquired pink irises darting around to examine her surroundings. They locked onto something just behind the tharian, suddenly becoming wide in an expression of shock and horror.

Roku followed her eyes to see what she was staring at.

The cloud of dark archon had moved towards the center of the chamber, into the arcing beam of dark energy and exotic particles... and directly underneath the Tesseract.

It was pulsating and throbbing in a manner terrifyingly similar to living organism, its entire form shrinking and thickening as it did so. A horrid thumping sound akin to a heart beating starting to emanate from the cloud itself.

**"Passkey Delta-Sigma-48-Epsilon-D. Remove Tesseract shielding."**

The voice was booming across the Tower once again.

Directly following the command was the quick dissipation of the kronon shield surrounding the fourth-dimensional artifact. The dark creature had activated what was left of level 499's vocal interface. The Grand Master had set up the shield to protect the Tesseract... but now this creature was _removing _it.

Dark tendrils began to ascend towards the radiating cube. Upon contact with the shining device, a bright expansion of blue light blinded Roku and Veara, forcing them to close their eyes and look away. Once it had subsided, they were greeted with an even more horrifying sight.

The cloud-like structure of the archon was no more. It was now condensing and collapsing into a thick, viscous goo-like substance. So dark in color that the light around it seemed to be pulled into its inescapable depths, the goo was falling out and away from the beam of dark-energy, impacting the metal floor with a soft sickening splat.

It then began to coalesce once more, forming into a growing pile of dark goo on the side of the beam facing Roku and Veara. As it grew in size... it seemed to take on a life of its own. A head reared-up from the center of the mass... or at least the basic shape of a head. A horizontal slit appeared across the center. This was followed by the formation of a chest... arms... and a torso. Even as the creatures form began to take shape, large amounts of goo continued to fall back off of the creature, only to be reabsorbed by the pile underneath it. It was in an unstable state of flux... slowly taking formation.

The voice appeared again, this time visibly being emitted by the vague formation of a mouth present on the creatures head.

**"I am no longer just a phantom of Agriath. I imprinted on Veara for **_**thirty-thousand years**_**... and the entirety of the artlen race for hundreds of thousands of years before that! I have gained an identity of my own... as Narahgeenah... dark lord of the Artlen race. I have grown beyond the need of a mortal host. All I required now was a massive energy source capable of coalescing my archon into a physical form. Thank you for releasing me in direct vicinity of the Tesseract."**

Legs were now present. Claws on the ends of the arms were taking shape. Narahgeenah was no longer an ethereal threat to Veara's sanity... he was a physical creature preparing to wipe both Veara and Roku from existence.

This creature now had the vague form of an Artlen... but with no eyes, nose, or defining physical features... a silhouette of darkness.

As it 'stared' towards Roku and Veara, it opened its mouth unnaturally wide... allowing a terrifyingly long tongue to slither out. The throbbing heartbeat-like sound was showing no signs of dying down either.

"Welcome back to the physical world," Roku said, slowly rising to a standing position and bringing Veara with him, "I was starting to wonder if you really were going to be defeated so easily."

The smile on Narahgeenah's face widened even more.

Roku took a moment to ensure that Veara was capable of standing on her own. When she successfully was upright on both of her feet, Veara let go of him, shaking for a moment but managing to attain balance.

"**This is your demise... **_**both**_ **of you. I don't care how powerful you think you have become. I will overtake all."**

"You sound pretty confident," Roku said, stepping between Veara and the dark archon formation, "I just removed you from a host you were occupying for thirty thousand years. It was no walk in the park, I assure you, but what makes you think you have the authority to declare my demise?"

The goo was now solidifying. The outer layer of the creature's 'skin' was beginning to harden. Sharp teeth were protruding from the top and bottom of the gaping maw that was the creatures mouth.

Far above everyone residing on the top of the Tower was the violent lightning storm perpetuated by the leaking of the Quantum Core's energy. A powerful cyclical wind was beginning to pick up, making it more difficult for the tharian to remain standing. His limbs were screaming for rest... but he couldn't give in now. He had to make his stand. Firmly pressing the Staff of Life against the metal surface underneath him, Roku used the Biorod in a manner similar to an actual staff, providing the support necessary to keep going.

"**You are on the brink of destruction already. The foul light of Anu may have saved Veara, but the never ending archon of Agriath will consume your entirety."**

"Very poetic," Roku responded, "But before you take the time to annihilate us... allow me to say a couple more things. Final words, I guess."

"**And why would I do that? You are weak. You can barely stand. Now would be the perfect time to vaporize every particle of your worthless body."**

"Yeah... I guess so," Roku stated, smiling a little and taking a couple steps closer to Narahgeenah, "Or... you could consider the hopelessly pathetic situation you've placed yourself within."

"_Oh... good word choice. I'm liking this!" _Yagoda said within Roku's mind, practically giggling with excitement.

"**Oh, please. **_**Look at yourself!**_** You are of no threat to me! You never have been, and you **_**never will!**_**"**

Narahgeenah was nearly formed, the puddle of black goo underneath him having been almost completely absorbed into the dark entity.

"I am not a threat to you? _I, _who single-handedly began and finished the process of removing your foul presence from Veara's soul? _I, _who has, up until this point, countermanded all of your ploys? _I,_ Roku Azero, who predicted exactly how this entire situation would unfold _long_ before it ever began. You're walked right into a trap, Narahgeenah. A trap that you set up, prepared and set to its maximum lethality... leaving it wide open for the taking. A trap that I will now use to your demise."

**"What 'trap'? Enough with this nonsense!"**

"My Spode, Narahgeenah! It's right in front of you! It has been this entire time!"

** "What?!"**

"Far below us lies the Tower's Quantum Core, entering a final state of complete collapse. Placed within its cascading beam of energy, right behind you, is the Tesseract - for the purpose of amplifying the Core's destructive blast a thousand-fold."

**"I care not about your world's obliteration! I know the means by which I can escape. Your precious Veara, on the other hand, will have perished, along with you, long before her memories can re-assert themselves."**

"Arcadia... what is he talking about?" Veara asked from behind Roku, sounding genuinely concerned and confused.

Roku didn't have time to respond. The dark creature before him was almost fully formed. The dark plates had become fully-fledged armor that was metallic in appearance. Narahgeenah's form was now clearly defined as an artlen, a severely corrupted and distorted artlen, but an article nonetheless. He was very similar to Veara in size and stature, smiling with unsurpassed malice.

"That is not what I mean, Narahgeenah! The Tesseract is amplifying the Core's energy, just like it did to the archon that consumed my original Staff of Life, and just as it has been doing to all of the Grox Infestation Pods, preventing normal uses of the Staves of Life on the planets where they are present. Don't you see my point? The practically infinite energy of the Tesseract's fourth dimensional geometry gives it limitless potential... gives it the ability to take a benign amount of power and cascade it into something far more potent!"

**"I fail to see your point. You are merely complementing my position!"**

"No I am not! I pity your position! You are so consumed with one goal that you miss the joyous nature of everything around you. The truth of creation... of life. You are so concerned with destruction and manipulation... so far removed from anything natural... that you will never be... you will never be..."

** "I will never be what, mortal?!"**

"Alive."

There was a moment of shocked silence.

"Truly, honestly, alive. You are not a child of creation... you, and the rest of the entity you comprise, form a shadow of existence... a fragment of such negligible significance that it could never invoke fear in anyone!"

At that moment... Roku felt a twinge in his mind. Time seemed to freeze. Yagoda was re-asserting her position.

"_Roku... its time," _the deity conveyed psionically, _"But there is one more component I must teach you. I am giving you words. Words that I nearly forgot long ago... the words of my ascended brethren. I already taught them to Veara. Now is your turn to speak the language of our Creator!"_

A great warmth manifested within Roku's body, spreading out through all of his limbs in a sudden rush of energy. It was a sensation too amazing to describe. A great confidence being pulled from the stretches of infinity and into Roku's soul. He could feel it... like it had always been there... an untapped connection to something far greater.

"_You weren't lying... Yagoda. You are no longer a parasite. You have changed. Thank you..."_

"_Don't thank me... thank those who came before me... an endless expanse of ascended deities calling out to the one who made it all possible. Agriath's greatest and oldest enemy. Say the words now. Say them with Veara... and enact the final piece of our plan!"_

Time resumed.

"I'm ready," Veara proclaimed, taking a few steps forwards to stand next to Roku. It was clear Yagoda had spoken to her as well.

**"What is the meaning of this?!"**

Roku smiled.

"The Tesseract doesn't just amplify archon energy, Narahgeenah, it amplifies _ALL _energy. Including the energy of life, of creation, and of your greatest enemy. The energy of the Staff of Life a thousand-fold... now wouldn't that be something to see. And guess what, oh-so-clever phantom of Agriath? _You_ disabled the defensive shield the Grand Master put in place. In your desperation... your attempt to survive... you broke the plans the rest of your being attempted to ensure."

**"NO! I will not allow you to..."**

The energy from Roku's biorod began to glow a radiating green and white.

"The Cycle comes Round!" Roku exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

"Reality is here!" Veara shouted with the same tenacity.

**"This is folly! You have no hope!"**

"The Void is no more!"

"I no longer have fear!"

A great aura was beginning to build up around the tharian and the artlen, focused centrally around the Staff of Life in Roku's outstretched arm. The life-core at its top had become almost blindingly bright. The powerful wind of the Quantum disturbance in the sky above them was being deflected around Roku and Veara by an unseen field of energy.

**"NO MORE!" **

Naragheenah lurched forwards, now a fully formed artlen entity.

In immediate response, Roku threw that biorod into a sideways defensive position. The field of life energy coalesced in front of the dark creature, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"The greatness of love..."

"Makes all darkness fall through!"

**"IMPOSSIBLE!"**

Narahgeenah was sent flying backwards, sliding to a stop on the metal surface of the chamber.

**"NO!"**

And then, Roku and Veara, in unison...

"Be gone spawn of death, _BEHOLD THE LIGHT OF ANU!"_

Roku pointed the staff's life core directly at the Tesseract.

It happened all at once.

A single overloading blast of life energy burst forth from the furthest reaches of infinity, funneling through Jaxxod engineering and into the universe before Roku. The cone of unstoppable power was sent blazing towards the Tesseract. The energy was a shining white in color, casting away all of the residual archon occupying Narahgeenah's aura - an unstoppable and glorious ray of harmony.

Then... things got interesting.

The beam of life energy impacted the Tesseract.

The chain reaction began.

The inter-dimensional cube's brightness spontaneously escalated to blinding, engulfing the entirety of level 499 in its expansive energy. A shock wave was sent exploding outwards from the Tesseract, a blast of pure warmth... of the same powerful energy that was present during creation itself. The blast passed through Roku and Veara with no ill effects, barely even moving them.

The same could not be said for Narahgeenah.

The shockwave knocked the dark creature to the metal of the Tower. Visible cracks were sent splintering across his archon armor. These cracks behaved like an infection. A luminescent white in color, the fractures were slowly spreading all across Narahgeenah's form.

**"No..."**

Roku could feel it. It had worked. The Tesseract was amplifying the Biorod's energy by an incomprehensible amount.

The tharian continued to stand firm, holding the Staff steady as its energy funneled into the higher-dimensional amplifier.

Another blast of life energy emanating from the Tesseract. It was stronger than the last.

The little progress Narahgeenah had made at standing back up was almost immediately countermanded.

**"This can't be happening!"**

"You did this to yourself!" Roku shouted with a passion he had never felt within himself before, a passion fueled by something beyond his soul, "The energy of creation harms you because you are _not of_ creation. You intentionally separate yourself, and because of that the light of truth burns your corrupted form!"

**"No!"**

"And that's not all. By the power of the Tesseract, may this blast of Anu's power consume all creatures of archon! May every being of darkness within this star system feel the power of creation itself!"

Another radiant blast of shining life energy blasted outwards from the Tesseract. Roku felt as its energy expanded outwards beyond the Control Tower, beyond Alyxia, and beyond Thar itself.

* * *

"Whoah... what in the world is going on?!" Maruck shouted.

The rest of Roku's comrades watched in awe as continual waves of shining light burst forth from what the top of the Tharian Control Tower. They were shaped like massive hollow spheres, phasing through all of the matter they touched like it wasn't even there. Including, but certainly not limited to, all of the captains standing atop the Residential Building watching the event unfold.

"This is... whoah..." Chase said as a wave of energy passed through his body. There was no apparent change to himself when it happened, but he could feel a great warmth passing through him as it did so.

They watched as the expanding bubbles of light continued to blast far up into the sky and out onto the horizon.

"Look!" Arcadia shouted, pointed towards something in the sky far off to the right.

A Grox raider vessel was speeding along through the sky before being abruptly impacted by the blast of life energy.

It only took moments. The vessel began to plummet.

"No way..." Maruck said, his eyes lighting up, "This is amazing! Go Roku!"

"The grox can't survive on inhabitable worlds..." Harko began, realizing what was happening.

"The energy from the Biorod is toxic to them," Stekvan finished, completely in awe at the situation before him, "Every Grox caught within this blast has no chance of survival."

"In that case... then here comes the fireworks..." Arcadia added, turning his head towards the sky.

* * *

"Status report on squadron seven!" Aster commanded, her voice firm and resolved.

"Unsuccessful!," a nearby Starlen exclaimed as he observed a constantly changing and complex holographic display, "Attempts to evacuate the planet have returned an 80 percent fail rate!"

The central command chamber of the Alliance flagship was a sprawling complex of holographic panels, large view windows, and flustered members from nearly all of the galaxies prominent empires. This was a battle that would never be forgotten.

"Wait... what's that?" Aster questioned, looking out through the main view window.

Far below them was Thar... and emanating from its surface was a series of fast-moving concentric spheres of bright light.

"Who... what...?" Aster stated, confused.

As the spheres drew closer their light grew in intensity. It wasn't long before the energy of whatever was moving towards them became so intense that it rendered continual combat impossible.

All of the creatures present within the central chamber had expressions of shock and awe placed onto their faces. While none of them could explain it, they all simultaneously felt a sensation of pure joy disperse throughout their entire beings. This sensation grew... until all that they could do was be completely amazed.

But that wasn't all that happened.

Aster watched as the waves of light passed through all of the ships occupying the space around Thar. As the waves phased through the hull of the flagship it seemed to have no effect, just an amplification of the previous emotion of joy.

The same could not be said for all of the vessels around them.

Each and every Grox raider vessel and command ship impacted by the blast of light seemed to just _stop._ There was no apparent rhyme or reason. All of the plasma cannons... deactivated. All of the archon shields... ripped to shreds. The ships were left to simply drift through space... as if all of their occupants had just... disappeared.

The blasts of light continued. Each concentric blast seeming to be more powerful than the last.

"What... is this?" Aster asked, unable to take her eyes away from the spectacle before her.

"I'm not sure," the nearby Starlen responded, "But... no... this can't be... yes, yes it is! Scans are returning zero life signs within any of the Grox spacecraft!"

"_Zero?!"_

"Zero. Grox. Dronox. Insectrox. All of them... just gone. That energy... whatever it is its wiping them all out. Like some sort of pathogen only toxic to grox. It's amazing!"

"Roku..." Aster said under her breath, smiling, "I should have known. Good job, my friend."

"We've... WE'VE WON!" the Starlen exclaimed, "All Grox in orbit around Tharian space have been destroyed!"

The representatives of the many Alliance members began to cheer. Whoop. Hollar. Shout to the heavens.

They had won.

Everyone was shouting praises at the top of their lungs.

"At long last!"

"Long live the Aeron Alliance!"

"Good riddance Grox scum!"

"May we mark this day forever in our Galaxy's history!"

* * *

"This is impossible!" the Grand Master shouted without a hint of remorse, "I contained the Tesseract within a self-generated unbreakable shield. Roku shouldn't have been capable of doing this unless..."

The corrupted Amahani froze in his place. He felt a twinge of guilt deep within himself. Then... a psionic message.

_"I am sorry."_

_ "Of course..."_ the Grand Master thought back, _"Narahgeenah. In your desperation to survive you failed yourself. How fittingly ironic. You are merely a fragment of me. A fragment that is now being destroyed and forgotten. I am endless, I no longer need you Narahgeenah. Goodbye."_

"Lord Agriath!" Alan exclaimed, sprinting over to the Grand Master as fast as he could, "It's just as you predicted. The Anuic energy is stabilizing the Quantum Core! Roku took our weapon and turned it on its head. He broke both ends of the deal and is now wiping out every Grox still in the Pyles system, whilst saving the lives of everyone else we tried to destroy!"

"Most of the Grox chosen for this mission would have perished in the collapse anyways," the Amahani responded, "That was known from the start. Regardless, we no longer have time to waste. Set warp coordinates for Xorgo. Get us out of this system now!"

* * *

"I knew it!" Harko shouted, jumping down and out of the Tharak's descension beam before running back across the roof of the residential building and towards the rest of his comrades, "I was able to locate a series of encrypted teleports leading out towards a small Grox spacecraft located on the edge of the Pyles system. Moments ago it just jumped to hyperspace. I'll be you _anything_ that's where the Grand Master was."

"And that's helpful... because...?" Maruck asked, a little confused.

"Well... it's not, really. It would have been had Roku not just done... _that_," the engineer responded, motioning towards the now slowly-dying-down source of the spheres of light.

There was a moment of silent appreciation.

"Now what...?" Chase asked, "Where do we go from here?"

"You tell me," Stekvan stated, smiling.

* * *

Roku and Veara were standing next to each other atop the remains of the Main Control Tower. Before them... was an entity that was on its last fiber of existence.

The blast from the biorod had calmed the deadly stream of particles from the Quantum Core to a point of non-intrusion above level 499. There was no longer a storm brewing in the sky. Everything had been calmed.

"**This... is... not the end... it never will be."**

"Enough," Roku said, in a tone of calm defiance, "There is nothing else you can say to us."

Narhgeenah was almost completely dissolved, his body nothing more than an evaporating cloud of archon with the vague semblance of a face.

"**Not that, Roku. There is still more at work here than you know."**

"Really?"

"**I am not the only renegade fragment of Agriath. Dimitri... is **_**not**_** the only other host. Anu's power can only get you so far. Agriath will triumph in the end!"**

That was the last thing the dark entity was able to proclaim. After that... his archon was no more.

The air became still.

Roku brought the Staff of Life back down to his side.

The Tesseract continued to glow above the center of the chamber.

All had been made well.

"So that's it..." Veara said, still looking at where Narahgeenah had been, "After so long..." Roku watched as a small tear fell down the Artlen's face. "It's over. I'm free."

"Yes, you are," Roku responded, smiling and turning to face the her.

The two stared at each other for quite a while, standing atop the ruins of the top two floors of the Main Control Tower. The star Pyles had risen a good distance into the morning sky, casting long shadows across the fractured metal beneath Roku and Veara.

"I remember so little..." Veara began to say, "But the more I think about it... the more horrid the memories become... and the faster they flood in. I can't... I just... the only memory that I desire to keep... the only memory that has any merit amongst the sea of darkness... is you... my time with you, Arcadia."

Roku smiled a little.

"A lot has happened. A lot more than I could have ever wished for..." Roku responded, "For the purpose of maintaining causality... my name wasn't actually Arcadia. I had to go by a different name when I was in the past. My real name... is Roku Azero."

"Roku... of course... that's what Narahgeenah called you."

The artlen smiled again, looking directly into the eyes of the tharian who had saved her.

"Thank you, Roku Azero. Thank you for everything."

She leaned forwards and kissed him on the cheek.

The tharian was in shock, not sure how to respond. All of his emotions were firing at once. Of course that had happened to him before, but he _knew_ this was different.

"_Ooh... would you look at that. Mmhmm. Totally don't see where this is going," _Yagoda psionically spoke, emphasizing the sarcasm of her statement.

Roku didn't even consider responding to the deity.

He was too absorbed in the moment.

A moment that he wanted to last forever.

In this world of chaos and destruction. Of Archon and Life... Of Agriath and Anu... A never ending eternal war... at least he could take solace in this.

_For the greatness of love makes all darkness fall through._

"You're welcome, Veara."

* * *

_A/N: The end of the Thar-Tetradon arc, at long last. Here we go, the sprint to the finish._


End file.
